


The Project

by MelodicWriter



Category: FBE, Fine Brothers Entertainment, youtube - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Angst, Bullying, Eric is a loner, Forbidden Love, High School, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Nsfw is implied, Teric, Tom is a popular kid, YouTube, nothing too graphic, poor eric awe, you won't know you needed this until you read it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-06
Updated: 2019-01-15
Packaged: 2019-09-13 02:30:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 24
Words: 72,296
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16883949
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MelodicWriter/pseuds/MelodicWriter
Summary: Eric Beckerman is a loner at his High School. He spends time by himself and often gets made fun of. One day in one of his classes, his teacher announces a project that is going to be done in partners. She assigns Eric to Tom, one of the most popular guys in school.





	1. Outcast

Eric Beckerman didn’t like high school. No, that was an understatement. To be more precise, every day in the slate prison was torture. He didn’t have any friends, no social life, and no popularity. The closest he came to being cool was having one of the popular kids sit at his table when there was no room left in the cafeteria.

He spent most of his days alone. Admittedly, it had its perks. He could go wherever he wanted. There was no pressure to act a certain way since he was already an outcast. Eating by himself wasn't terrible either. Eric usually ate his meal in silence or listened to his current favorite artist with his earbuds jammed in his ears. Right now it happened to be Neck Deep. 

On the other end of the spectrum, Eric did have spurts of loneliness. He would watch other students from afar. They always were laughing or messing around with each other. Part of him wanted to fit in and join their little groups. He caught himself staring longingly, stopping once they noticed and snickered. 

Eric knew he was a freak. It was written on his locker, yelled at him in the hallways, and overheard in passing conversation. He was used to it. On particularly rough days, the wound would prick. He would start to feel dejected and a metaphorical black cloud would hang over his head. He tried to distract himself by putting extra attention on class lessons or some inanimate object he could spy. 

For awhile, he wasn't sure what made him so different than the other kids. In his younger years, Eric would try to interact others only to get shunned. After awhile that feeling stuck with him and wouldn't dissipate. In the back of his mind, he knew that no matter what that he was destined to be a loner. Always on the outside looking in. 

He no longer tried to cover up his differences, embracing everything that made him so peculiar. He wore outfits that consisted of mostly black besides the occasional flannel and dorky graphic tees. He listened to music that had darker themes than the cheery pop tunes of his classmates. He left his untamed mess of curls to sit a top his head, not bothering to try and style them. He painted his nails all sorts of colors. They were currently a royal purple.

Boys painting their nails wasn't a very common trend in Eric's high school. Most of the guys tried to be as masculine as possible. Eric didn't really care about appealing to those unsaid standards. It of course led to an uncontrollable amount of rumors pertaining to his sexuality. He had experienced a fair share of slurs being hurled in his direction over the years. With time, he learned to ignore it and let the words fly over his head. At least in school. Some nights he would stay up quietly crying into his pillow. 

Today, Eric was walking through the hallway to go back to his Spanish teacher's room. He had a couple questions on the homework she had assigned. As a bonus, he got to escape the busy lunch room. A loud bell sang throughout the narrow corridors. He clutched his textbooks in his arms, freezing momentarily. Students piled out of their classes and filled the empty hallway. The once peaceful walk had been disrupted by obnoxious laughs and loud conversation.

Eric's brain buzzed. There was too much going on. His palms begun to sweat, the books in his grasp suddenly feeling slippery. Two of the thick textbooks toppled to the ground. He heard a chorus of jeers as his face flushed with embarrassment. 

"Drop something?" A mocking voice asked. Eric whirled around. 

In front of him stood the most infamous clique in school. There was Labib Yasir, an athletic guy who was on the school's wrestling team. Next in the lineup was Beau Brown. Beau had all the girls in school swooning after him. He played on the basketball team and clocked in at an impressive seven feet. 

Beside Beau was Brandon Sanchez. He was the goofball of the group, constantly playing pranks and making his friends break out into laughing fits. Tori Vasquez had her hand on her hip. She was the only girl in the squad. While all of the girls wanted Beau, all of the boys wanted her. Her clothes were high end and her makeup always done to perfection. 

In the center of the group was the leader: Tom Phelan. Tom was loved by anyone who came in contact with him. He was silly, charming, and energetic. Eric's blush deepened as he felt Tom's stare on him. Truth be told, the loner did have a small crush on him. As impossible as he knew it was, something about Tom was so captivating. Maybe it was his brown hair that looked so soft to touch. Maybe it was his deep brown eyes. Maybe it was his plump lips. Or possibly all of the above.

It took a second for Eric to realize that the voice that had called out was from Tom himself. Tom adjusted his backwards blue hat, looking at Eric as if his act of dropping his books had inconvenienced him at the highest degree. Eric scrambled down and picked up the textbooks. 

"What a weirdo." Tori giggled to Brandon who seconded her statement with a nasty look towards Eric. 

"I'm s-sorry for blocking your path." Eric stuttered out. He fidgeted around with the strings of his hoodie to ease his growing nervousness. 

"Whatever. Just move." Tom said, unamused. He crossed his arms impatiently. 

Eric stepped aside. In the process, his back slammed up against the row of yellow lockers. The group chuckled and strided passed Eric. He heard Beau making a rude comment about his stuttering as they rounded a corner and disappeared. Their loud laughs echoed down the hallway that was starting to clear out. 

For a few seconds, Eric stayed resting on the lockers. The cool metal helped calm down his searing skin. His breath had risen to a raggedy pant. The stress from facing the most popular group in school, facing Tom, and the business of people around him sent his brain into an overwhelmed spiral.

The bell rang out announcing the end of passing time. Luckily for Eric, his lunch period was still going on. He took a deep breath and made his way down to the Spanish classroom. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should be writing my OARA fic, but instead of course my brain is fixated on Teric which I recently became obsessed with so enjoy. This first chapter is pretty short oops. Hope ya liked it:)


	2. Science Class

Eric's visit with his Spanish teacher had gone over fine. Her face brightly smiled at him as he came into the room. She sat alongside him and answered his various questions. He was disappointed when it was time to go to his next class. 

Science was not one of Eric's strong suits. Beside math, it was up there as one of his least favorite subjects. He preferred English class. English was much more open ended and less strict. Zoning out was also less damaging. At worst, he would miss the symbolism of a stray cat rather than accidentally knock a test tube onto the floor. He was currently enrolled in Chemistry. 

His Chemistry teacher was Mrs.Booth. Her room was on the complete other side of the school from where his Spanish room was. He rushed down the hallway, nearly tripping. Eric made it inside the room with seconds to spare. Mrs.Booth turned her head, as did all of the class, as Eric walked in the room. A few stifled laughs broke out among the students. 

"Nice of you to make it, Mr.Beckerman. Take your seat." She scribbled an equation down on the white board at the front of the room. The squeak of the marker hurt Eric's ears. He glanced around the room. Most of the seats were already taken. He bit his lip, his earlier stress returning. 

"Any day now." Mrs.Booth rushed. 

A table near her desk had an open seat. Eric excused himself as he maneuvered passed annoyed peers. To make matters worst, the chair made the most horrid noise as Eric pulled it out from under the table. He took his seat, keeping his head down. The girl next to him rolled her eyes and texted on her cell phone. 

Mrs.Booth finished up with her lengthy formula. "To start off this new unit, we're going to be doing a project."

A collective groan washed over the classroom. Eric tapped his fingers together. He didn't mind it as much as others seemed to. Projects meant he could work alone and not be bothered. That was fine by him. 

"In partner pairs I choose." 

Now _that_ was a different story. Eric's experience with partnered projects took one of three routes. The partner forced him to do all of the work while they slacked off, they demanded for another partner, or after spending time with him spread rumors around about him. He was not excited to see which one his new partner would fall under. 

"I made the pairs randomly online so don't complain to me if you don't like your partner. You can blame the computer program." 

Out of instinct, Eric raised his fingers to his mouth and bit his nails. He silently prayed that somehow she forgot to enter his name and by some miracle he wouldn't be called. 

"Brandon Sanchez and Beau Brown." 

"Oh hell yeah!" Brandon and Beau hollered from the back of the room. Eric flinched at the thunderous high five that followed their happy cheering. He had forgotten that they were in his class. Thankfully they were so overjoyed to be paired with each other that they didn't pay him any attention. 

"Sarah Shultz and Ava Desmond." 

Eric kept his head down. So far so good. 

"Jennifer Motley and Tyler Leith." 

Eric's anxiety mounted as the list went on. Every time a new pair was called, his stomach somersaulted. He knew his name was coming up. It was inevitable. He wished she would just say it and get it over with. Rip the band-aid off. 

"Rachel Crawford and Dustin Montgomery. That wraps up our list." 

That was it?! A breath he didn't know he was holding inside his chest finally released. Now he could just do a project by himself and when he had to hand it in, he could coyly say that he never received a partner. Eric smiled to himself at his sound plan. 

"Oh wait. I'm sorry, I missed a pair. Eric Beckerman and Tom Phelan." 

Eric swore that his heart nearly stopped. He forgot to breath for a moment. All of the functions and systems within his body froze. She must have misread it. Tom wasn't even his class! Eric turned his head back and sure enough, he saw Tom in the corner near Brandon and Beau. Brandon was clapping Tom on the back with an evil smirk. Tom groaned so loudly that Eric could hear it from all the way across the room. It appeared that he wasn't anymore thrilled about this then him.

There was no way that damn system had put them together. After his brief interaction with Tom, he wanted to steer clear of the brown-haired boy. Despite being seated, his legs had begun to tremble. He guessed that Tom would be so awful to him, he would have to think up a whole fourth route.

"I will handout the specific guidelines once you get seated with your partners. Go on." Mrs.Booth added when no one moved. 

Eric's fear multiplied at this request. His feet anchored to the tiled ground. It was bad enough that he had to be paired up with Tom, but now he had no time to even adjust or collect his racing thoughts. The shuffling of chairs was happening around him, but the noises felt distant. Sweat broke out on his forehead. Eric dabbed his damp forehead with the sleeve of his hoodie. 

"Mr.Beckerman? Why aren't you with your partner?" Mrs.Booth glared over at the profusely sweating Eric. 

"S-Sorry. I was just... uh... gathering my supplies." Eric scooped up his textbooks and pushed his chair in. He walked slowly towards where his partner was sitting. Tom was separated from his friends who had claimed a table in the middle of the room. Eric thought this was strange. Tom being alone when he was usually surrounded by company was unnatural. 

Tom didn't look up when Eric sat next to him. He was trying to capture the attention of Brandon and Beau, who were having a slapping battle. Eric set his books down on the table. Apparently louder than he planned, because Tom stopped his ludicrous attempts and raised an eyebrow judgmentally. 

"Could you be any louder?" 

"Probably." Eric said without thinking. He was shocked by his own sarcastic remark. Tom was too, giving Eric a weird look. 

"Sorry for taking so long to reach you boys. Here you go." Mrs.Booth set a stapled packet between Tom and Eric.

"Can we get two copies?" Tom asked, eyeing the single packet with disgust. Eric frowned. Not even two minutes in and Tom had already managed to make him feel bad about himself. It must've been a new record. 

"No. You are old enough to share Mr.Phelan." She retreated back to her desk. Tom narrowed his eyes and mumbled something under his breath that sounded like a creative curse word. Eric picked up the packet, ready to thumb through it. 

_Choose an element from the period table-_

"Give me that." Tom yanked the packet from Eric's grip. Eric winced. One of the edges of the sheets had pierced his skin. Blood rose to the small cut on his index finger. He glanced over at Tom. He held onto the packet triumphantly, not giving Eric any mind. Eric frowned, standing up from his seat. He shielded his finger from his curious classmates that stared at him as he walked. 

"Excuse me, Mrs.Booth?" 

"Yes?" She didn't turn away from her computer screen. 

"Do you have a Band-Aid?" 

"I think so." She tore her gaze away from the screen and searched through a cluttered drawer under her desk. Eric waited, tapping his foot on the ground. She could search for the rest of class for all he cared. He wasn't exactly dying to return to his partner. He was disappointed when she held up a sheer packaged Band-Aid. 

"This should do." She extended her hand, the Band-Aid in her palm. Eric reluctantly took it. He thanked her and walked over to one of the many garbage cans in the room. He tore the wrapper open and tossed it away. As the Band-Aid rested against his finger, a stinging sensation caused him to wrinkle his nose. It took him a few moments before adjusting. 

Back at his table, Eric saw that Tom had given up with the packet. Instead, his slender fingers were typing on an expensive phone. Eric marveled at the product, his eyes widening. His family was tight on money. He could never imagine having a phone like that. Unlike Tom's shiny touchscreen, Eric had a slide phone who's prime was 2013. 

Eric sat back down in his seat. He lifted the packet off the table and thumbed through it. It wasn't too long. Eric hoped that meant it wasn't exceptionally complicated. The moment he started to re-read the first line, Tom took the packet away from him again. 

"We need to share. You heard Mrs.Booth." Eric said with an exasperated frown. Tom rolled his eyes and moved the packet closer to Eric. 

"Okay teacher's pet. Is this better?"

Eric nodded. The packet was closer, but still hard for Eric to read without squinting. He scooted his chair over more. Peering over Tom's shoulder, he could see much better. He began to read the tiny printed text. 

_Choose an element from the periodic table to do a research project on. The first part of the project is an essay-_

What was that smell? An inviting earthy scent filled Eric's nose. He brushed it off and went back to reading. 

_-that will be on the history, composition, location-_

The scent distracted Eric again. This time he also smelled a hint of lemongrass. 

_-on the periodic table. Include any other information you find important such as-_

For the life of him, Eric could not stay on track. Whenever he tried to finish the sentence he was on, the scent crept up on him and made it impossible to focus. He wasn't sure why. Usually he could get himself back on track when little things derailed his attention span. This time it was incredibly difficult. Eric took another whiff. His nose reached dangerously close to Tom's neck. Tom jerked back, his eyebrows furrowed together as he looked at Eric with confusion. 

"I thought we were supposed to be reading, not sniffing each other." 

Eric blushed, a gentle pink shade coloring his cheeks. "You're right. I just smelled something good and it distracted me." 

Tom raised an eyebrow. His expression bordered on amusement. He pulled down the collar of his t-shirt. "This?" 

Eric had to force his mouth to not fall into an 'o' of surprise. His mind was whirring. Was he asking him to do what he thought? No, surely that wasn't possible. 

"Well?" Tom said, awaiting. His mocha eyes bore into Eric's. Eric diverted his gaze to the ridges carved into the table. When he looked back up, Tom's eyes still stayed on him. 

Eric slowly moved his nose towards the opening of Tom's shirt. His eyes immediately were drawn to the collarbone peeking out. He couldn't help but note how nice it was. He sniffed. Sure enough, the earthy lemongrass blend filled his nostrils. 

"Oh... I guess it was you. Sorry about that." Eric moved away from Tom. The blush on his cheeks teetered dangerously close to red. 

Tom opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by the bell. Students stuffed their supplies hastily in their bags and tore out of the science room. Mrs.Booth shouted warnings as they left. 

"Don't forget that you need to work on this project outside of school as well! We will have some class time, but not much!" 

Outside of class? Eric had no idea how that would go over with Tom. The boy would probably blow him off or flat out tell him it wasn't happening. 

Tom pulled his collar back up. "See you tomorrow." He slipped his backpack on so it hung only on one shoulder. "Wait up for me!" He called after Brandon and Beau who were already a good ways down the hall by Eric's estimate. 

Eric glanced down at the packet that lay sprawled on the table. He shook his head disapprovingly. Fortunately for Tom, he was responsible. He slipped the packet into his main folder and tucked it away in his backpack. He zipped it up and took his massive stack of textbooks into his arms. 

"Goodbye Mrs.Booth. See you tomorrow." 

Eric left the classroom apprehensive about how future sessions with Tom would go. One thing brought him comfort. At least tomorrow was Friday. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote two chapters in less than 12 hours. I deserve an award honestly.


	3. Jealousy

Friday's were the one day of the week that Eric looked forward to. They were the precursor to the weekend which was a break from rude stares and derogatory comments. He spent most of his Friday's alone in his bedroom; going online or listening to music. While many people considered this to be a lame usage of the day, it was fine by him. Eric would rather have it that way than the majority of his classmates who took it upon themselves to get as messed up as possible. 

His Friday was fairly standard. He fell asleep in his first period math class. His notes ended up a series of messy scribbles. Physical Education involved Eric trying to not get hit during the Dodge ball game that the class rallied for. As the game progressed, it was clear to him that the number of balls that whizzed by his head was not equal to those of everyone else. He was the clear target. At one point, Eric thought he even saw several of his own teammates take shots at him. 

The lunch special for today was pizza. While that sounded good in theory, the result was less than appetizing. The piece that he had been given resembled cardboard with cheese lazily strewn on top. Eric forced himself to take a couple bites. He knew that if he didn't, he would be hungry the rest of the day and would have to deal with incessant stomach growls. 

As he ate, he let his eyes wander across the cafeteria. He saw Tom and his group sitting at a table surrounded by admirers. Huh. He didn't know they shared a lunch period today. Tom was animatedly talking, using his hands and making silly expressions. The grinning admirers giggled at nearly everything the boy did. Eric could see why they were so fascinated. He was charmed himself and he wasn't hearing the conversation first hand. 

The bell signaling the end to lunch scattered the cluster that had gathered. Tom playfully punched Labib on the shoulder and the group strolled out of the lunch room. Eric tossed out his tray and headed to English. 

English, Spanish, and History were equally boring. Eric let his thoughts drift to his last class of the day: Science. Last night as he laid in bed trying to sleep, he couldn't get Tom out of his head no matter how hard he tried. Tom pulling down his shirt. Tom's eyes looking deep into his own. The hint of a smirk he swore tugged at his lips. He must have replayed their interaction a hundred times by the time he finally passed out. 

Maybe it was all a fabrication in Eric's mind; a hopeful wish that didn't want to be dashed. Deep down, part of him knew this notion was ridiculous. Guys like him weren't meant to be with guys like Tom. Tom was supposed to have a beautiful girlfriend who was just as popular as him. Eric was just letting his silly mind play tricks on him. It wouldn't be the first time he had a crush on someone unattainable. Besides, Tom was probably straight anyways. There was no value to letting this crush go on. 

So Eric tried. Those hours building up to Chemistry he put Tom out of his mind. He listened to his Spanish teacher's lecture on verbs. He wrote a decent response to the question his English teacher posed. He even read the long section on the American Revolution in History. By the time Chemistry rolled around, he was confident that he had effectively removed the traces of Tom from his mind. 

That was, until Eric actually entered the classroom. Written on the board was a simple instruction. 

'Welcome back. Please get seated with your partner and start working. I'll be back soon -Mrs.Booth'

The classmates were sitting by their partners, but didn't appear to be doing the project. Pairs were either talking or on their phones. Tom was sitting on a table. Brandon stood near him. Eric closed the door behind him as quietly as possible. He didn't feel like drawing unnecessary awareness to himself. 

Tom looked pretty enraptured in his discussion with his two friends and Eric didn't want to intrude. He found a spare seat next to Sarah and Ava. The two girls were painting their nails and sipping from flashy travel cups. They side-eyed Eric who sat down rather clumsily. 

"So like I was saying, this weekend Sephora is having a sale on lipstick. I think it's buy one get one 25% off or something like that. We should go." 

"Ooh sounds fun. Maybe we can go to Victoria's Secret afterwards." 

They shared a giggle. Ava flexed her hand, showing off the newly painted jade on her nails. 

"Hey Eric, do you wanna borrow some?" Ava's biting tone contrasted with the sweet look on her face. Eric glanced down at his painted nails shamefully. He hid his hands under the table, as if that would make the paint vanish. He ignored her. She would get bored eventually. They usually did. 

Ava saw that she wasn't getting a response so she waved her hand in front of Eric. "Or would you prefer to stick with the purple?" Sarah snickered.

Eric looked down at the ground. Heat rose to his face. He hoped his cheeks didn't betray him and turn red. Ava rolled her eyes and faced Sarah. 

"Whatever... Oh wow I really like that color. Good choice." 

Sarah smiled and proudly showed off her hand. "I know right? I almost got pink instead."

Eric zoned out as they went further into the topic of makeup and beauty products. His gaze went blank as a daydream took over his mind. His daydreams ranged from realistic to completely wild. This one in particular started off with a sparkling ocean he hadn't seen since his childhood. There was a slight breeze and he could feel the warm sun beaming down on his back. 

Gulls flew overhead across the expanse of sapphire sky. His feet sank into the pale sand. As he was relaxing on the beach, a voice called out from behind him. Was that...?

"Tom? You're right. He's so cute." 

Eric was ripped from his pleasant daydream. A flash of jealousy coursed through him. The girls stared dreamily over at Tom, who was toying around with Brandon's beanie. Eric furrowed his eyebrows together at the newfound bitterness. He was rarely jealous over someone talking about someone. Most of the time it was just envy at wanting to be cool and included. He didn't like this feeling. Instead of the other jealousy which had a numbness to it, this one was fiery hot. So much for trying to not think about Tom. 

"Aren't you his partner, Eric?" Ava asked, much more innocently this time around. Eric scoffed. Convenient how nice she could sound when she wanted information from him. 

"Yeah." 

"Do you think that maybe you couldddd...you knowwwww...talk to him for me?" She batted her eyes. 

Eric gritted his teeth. His jealousy escalated from a small flame to a raging inferno. He took a deep breath.

"I don't know..." _More like I don't want to tell him._

"Awe c'monnnn. Pleaseeeee." 

"Maybe." _I really don't want to do it. I really really don't._

Ava clapped her hands together. "Awesome! Tell me what he says." Eric frowned. He hadn't agreed to her request, but she had taken it upon herself to make the choice for him. He thought about refusing to; although deciding against it as she would likely go back to harassing him.

Eric left his seat and walked over to Tom. 

"-I have no idea. I think Tori may have mentioned that...Oh look it's my project partner." Tom stopped his conversation and turned to face Eric. Brandon sneered. 

"I'll talk to you later." He said, shooting a nasty look at Eric as he went to go sit by another one of his many friends.

Eric awkwardly sat down in a chair. Tom was still on the table, his feet danging over the edge. 

"Uh...Tom?" 

"What?

"Uhhh..." Eric's throat tightened. The words didn't want to leave his mouth. 

"Spit it out." 

Eric discreetly glanced over at Ava. She returned his glance with a smug grin. He hated that she was so confident in this. Like after he told Tom, the boy would run over to her and kiss her in front of the whole class. 

"Ava wanted me to—er—let you know that she thinks you're cute." _Say it as neutral as possible. Keep your face straight._

Tom looked around the room until he saw Ava. She gasped and whispered something to Sarah, her face turning a faint red. 

"I'm not shocked. She always seems to freak out when she sees me." 

"I'm pretty sure that's how every girl in school reacts when they see you..." Eric mumbled under his breath. 

"What was that?" Tom asked, a playful glint shining in his eyes. 

_Shit._ His own cheeks flushed a red definitely deeper than Ava's. "Uh...I said we should work on our project..." He dug into his backpack and took out the folder he had tucked away the packet in. Tom groaned and knocked the folder to the ground. 

"Mrs.Booth isn't here. We don't have to do work. You can stop being such a good little suck up now." He texted something on his phone, ignoring Eric. 

Eric hung his head. He didn't try to be a 'suck up'. In fact, he hated being called one. He gave his teachers the respect they showed him. Teachers were always more kind than fellow students anyways. He didn't have an issue with doing his work without being prompted, unlike every other person in the room. 

"She'll be back any minute." 

"So? No one else is doing their work. What's she gonna do? Give us mass detention?" Tom chuckled, keeping his focus on his phone. 

"I don't know...Maybe." 

"We'll just act busy when she comes in. It's easy." 

They spent the next couple of minutes in silence. Tom stayed on his phone while Eric kicked his foot along the dusty floor and read through the packet. He figured out that the assignment was an essay, a poster, and a 3D model. Huh... That was a lot more detailed than usual projects were. 

"Sorry for taking so long. Mr.Stevens just had to ask a million different questions." Mrs.Booth hobbled into the room. Students acted quickly in shifting their talks to ones about the project and pretending to read over the guidelines. Mrs.Booth smiled. 

"What good students...Thank you for keeping on task in my absence." 

_Yeah, keeping on task alright._ Eric raised his hand. 

"Mr.Beckerman?"

"How long is this project going to take?" 

"What a thoughtful question." Low snickers spread across the room. "It will be due in a month." 

_A month? Me and Tom will be spending a month together?_ Eric looked up at Tom nervously. He was still buried in his screen. 

"Class ends in about ten minutes so try to wrap up your discussions soon." 

Eric wasn't sure how to go about engaging Tom. He seemed thoroughly absorbed in whatever was so important on his phone. Eric settled on calling out to him until Tom looked up, annoyed. 

"What do you want, loser?" 

_Ouch._ Eric was used to being called names of every variety. Freak, Weirdo, and not to mention the list of slurs. However, none of that hurt like when Tom insulted him. He fought to keep tears inside his eyes. He was a loser. The largest loser in all of the entire school. 

"...We're going to have to hang out... outside of school to do the project." 

Tom's head shot up "No, we don't. We can work in class." 

Eric shook his head. "We aren't getting much more class time. With the three different parts of the project, it's going to take awhile." He already felt disgusting, but Tom's offended expression made him feel like a pesky insect. Was he really that bad to be around?

"No way, dude. We'll make time in class." Tom turned back to his phone. Something snapped inside Eric. After all the years of treatment, he had enough.

"Listen, I know I'm the most unpopular kid in school. I know you and your friends make fun of me all the time because I'm not cool like you. I know you would much rather be partners with Beau, or Brandon, or literally anyone else. But we don't have a choice. The system put us together. I would've been fine working alone myself. So if you can't handle working with a loser like me, you should just go ask Mrs. Booth for a new partner!" 

By the time Eric was done rambling, tears stained his cheeks. Tom's eyes were wide; the liveliness replaced with concern. He opened his mouth to speak, but Eric ran out of the room, covering his face. 

He had no idea where he was going to go. All he knew was that he needed to get out of the classroom. Eric started to walk down the hallway, his head bouncing in every direction. He spotted a stairwell through his tear filled eyes. He pushed open the door to the stairwell and collapsed onto the ground, too weak to move any further. 

He was drained. Absolutely and utterly drained. Heavy sobs wracked his body as he lay helplessly on the floor. As if it wasn't bad enough that he was revolted by himself, he thought about the fact that everyone had heard him yelling. He could see it now. The whole class mocking his outburst and howling with laughter at his pathetic display of emotion. He should've just repressed his hurt and waited until he got home later to let it out. _Idiot._

Eric hadn't cried this hard in a long time. His chest ached with each sob. He felt like he had been crying for an eternity before the stairwell doors were pushed open. 

Eric rubbed his puffy eyes and tried to see who had walked in. _Probably Mrs.Booth wondering what the hell came over me._

He couldn't tell until he heard the person's voice. 

"I'm sorry." 

Eric froze. _Tom?_ He wiped the remaining tears away from his face and let his eyes focus on the outline of whoever it was. It was indeed Tom, who didn't seem to have his usual cocky and goofy swagger. He scuffed his shoes along the ground. 

"Did you ask for another partner?" Eric refused to meet Tom's gaze. He stared at his sweatshirt; a gray and black top with a logo of some brand he had only seen on advertisements rather than meet his eye. 

"No." 

Eric was shocked. Clearly, he didn't want to work with him. So why not?

"Oh..." He wasn't sure what to say. The tension in the air was so thick he could slice it with a knife. 

"Why don't you come over to my house? Tomorrow at 2." 

_I must be so exhausted that my ears are malfunctioning. Tom? Inviting me to his house? Yeah, I doubt that._

"Hm?"

"My house. At 2. Unless you would rather meet up at your house." 

So he wasn't hearing things... Eric sat up, his back along the stairs. "Okay. That's fine." 

"My address is 2130 Murphy Court. It's near-" The bell rang loudly.

"I should go meet up with Brandon and Beau...but I'll see you later." He left Eric in the stairwell with a muddled look on his face. Eric could only imagine how strange tomorrow was going to be. Maybe Mrs.Booth bribed Tom to be cooperative, or perhaps he was planning to invite him over only to ditch him. Lucky for him, he had a day until he found out. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I was supposed to finish this last night. Wellllll instead I got buzzed and watched REACT videos with my mom. Tom and Eric were in them and every time they came on screen I pretty much yelled and screamed. It was a lot of fun. So although I didn't post, I was still with my boys. Anyways I hope you enjoyed!! Making Tom mean is so hard because I feel bad for Eric :( I want to hug him so bad after this chapter and I'm sure you do too.


	4. The Remote

Eric's entire wardrobe was sprawled around his feet as he viewed himself in the floor length mirror in his bedroom. He had spent the last hour antagonizing over what to wear. No matter what he tried on, nothing seemed to be adequate enough. Too loose. Too tight. Too out of style. 

_C'mon Eric. Get yourself together. You never care this much about what you wear. It's just Tom._

_Just Tom..._

No amount of pretending was going to convince Eric that seeing Tom at his house was no big deal. He could lie and act like he was unbothered; choosing whatever clothes weren't dirty and not giving it a second thought. But trying to play it cool only made his nervousness worse. It was so bad at one point he thought he was going to throw up. He gave himself a break and sat on his bed. He checked the time on his small phone screen. 

1:30pm.

Eric bolted back up. He didn't have the option to lag and take his time. He had to be at Tom's house in thirty minutes. With a sense of urgency, he looked back in the mirror. He had no idea how to dress. Virtually nothing he owned was cool compared to Tom and his group. Most of his clothes were from Hot Topic or the thrift store down the road. 

_Maybe I should try to dress like them._

At first when the thought crossed his mind, he laughed out loud. Just considering himself trying to emulate Tom and his friends was ridiculous. He would stick out like a sore thumb.

The more he assessed the explosion of clothes in front of him, the more the idea became probable. Maybe it wouldn't go over horribly. Maybe he would put together an outfit that passed as one of the cool kids. On the other hand, he could end up looking like a massive fool. To stop the inevitable spiral that would take him into an array of negativity, Eric busied himself with sorting through clothes until he chose what he thought would be acceptable. 

Eric didn't want to step in front of the mirror once he put on the outfit. He feared that what would be looking back at him would be unpleasant. 

_I don't have time. I have to get on with this or I'm going to be late._

The final result was... interesting to say the least. He was in a light blue polo shirt, a white windbreaker, and a pair of faded jeans. Most of the items were ones from his younger years. He hadn't purchased garments like these in a very long time. It wasn't his style. Eric's skin was practically itching to change into his Green Day tee that was slung over his chair. 

1:40pm

Alas, Green Day would have to wait for another day. Eric grabbed a navy blue baseball cap that was amidst the mess. He placed it on his head with the brim facing forward. 

_No. Tom wears his backwards._

He turned the hat around, shaking his head. Tom like this was effortless, whereas Eric felt incredibly forced. He gave himself an unsatisfied last glance before hoisting his backpack onto his shoulders. 

He thudded down the stairs. Eric peered around the corner. One of his brothers was in front of the TV in the family room. An episode of Parks and Rec was on. A smile flashed across his face. Parks and Rec was one of his favorite shows. Upon instinct, he almost flung himself onto the couch. 

_Nope. You have to meet up with Tom._

"Hey, could you take me over to someone's house?" Eric could drive, but he didn't have a car himself. He had to rely on his brothers to take him places until he could afford one, which he didn't see in the near future. Most of his money went towards necessities like food. 

"Who's house?" His brother paused his episode and turned back towards Eric. He saw that is was Alex who was seated.

"A kid from school. We have to work on a project together." 

"How far away?" 

"Not sure. I've never been there before." Eric saw the kitchen clock out of his peripheral vision. 

1:50pm.

_Ten minutes!_

"I'm limited for time so we should get going." He prayed his brother didn't argue. He was known to do that. 

Alex hauled himself off the couch and walked over to Eric. "What are you wearing? I haven't seen you in some preppy shit like that since we were kids." He tugged the baseball cap and made it face forward. 

"Just something I found in the closet." He said defensively, turning the hat back how he had it. He was fully aware how off brand it was for him. He didn't need it shoved in his face.

"You're lucky this is one of my off days, or you'd have to wait around for Shaun, Daniel, or Scott." Alex grabbed his car keys. Eric followed him out through the garage.

Alex's car was old, though Eric wasn't sure what the specific model was. He slid into the passenger seat beside Alex who was complaining about his radio not working. 

"Ever since I've had this damn thing, I can't remember it lasting long enough to make it through one song." He groaned, pulling out of the driveway. 

"What's the address?" 

Eric recited what Tom had told him yesterday in the stairwell. Alex recoiled in shock. 

"Does some celeb's kid go to your school?" He gave Eric a look of disbelief, as if this was all an elaborate ruse to get him away from the TV. 

Eric shook his head. Tom wasn't famous, at least not to his knowledge. "I don't think so..."

"You're sure this is the correct address?" 

"Yeah." As soon as he had gotten home, he scrawled the address down on a spare sheet of paper in his room. He didn't want to risk his memory failing him. 

Alex, still not believing Eric, nodded slowly. "...Okay. I'll take you." He pressed the gas pedal and the car rolled down the gravel road. 

The ride over to Tom's house wasn't terrible. Alex didn't talk much. He was more intent on fiddling with the radio during red lights at intersections. Eric took this opportunity to gaze out the window and let his thoughts run freely. 

_I wonder what Tom's house is going to be like. What will his neighborhood look like? What kinds of things does he have in his room? Wait... Will we be working in his room? No...Probably not. Having me even on his doorstep is too much. Maybe I'll have to keep my distance like he has a restraining order on me. Does he have siblings? Will we be alone? What if he isn't even there? Maybe he's out hanging out with his friends. It is Saturday. He wouldn't waste a perfectly good Saturday spending time with me. Cleaning his whole house top to bottom is more likely..._

"Earth to Eric?" 

By the time Eric pulled himself out his thoughts, he noticed that where they were was nothing like their neighborhood. Alex was driving through a neighborhood with houses that looked like miniature mansions. Scratch that, some of them were mansions for sure. His eyes bulged as he took in the drastic scenery shift. 

Along with the line of colossal houses that seemed to go on forever, there were all sorts of large trees. The leaves were tinged in the oranges and yellows of the approaching Autumn season. In front of one of the houses on the healthy grass, Eric saw a pair of blonde children playing with an inflatable ball. 

Was this even real? Eric thought he was transported into some strange utopia with perfectly manicured lawns and happy children. He and Alex shared a look of mutual confusion. These were the types of neighborhoods they used to fantasize about being apart of. They would stare out their windows on car rides back when their parents carted them everywhere and gasped. At their height and age, the houses seemed ten times larger. 

Alex pulled into the driveway of a tan house. Instead of the usual bumpy ride when they arrived in their own driveway, the car barely moved up and down. Alex put the car in park. 

"Have fun. Tell me how it goes. Maybe steal one of the priceless artifacts they have." 

"Yeah... Will do." Eric joked, unbuckling his seat belt. He grabbed his backpack and shut the car door behind him. Seeing the house behind a pane of glass was one thing, but seeing it directly in front of him was another.

Pillars and a tiled walkway greeted him. Several of the windows had balconies outside of them. The sheer size of the house astonished him. He was too afraid to step any closer. Maybe he could still go home...

Too late. Alex had already taken off. Eric sighed and turned back around. Identical trimmed hedges stood like guards ready to eject Eric from the premises. With a hesitant step, he began to walk forward. The gate was already opened. One less obstacle. 

As he walked, he remembered his time crunch and sprinted to the front door. By the time he reached the welcome doormat, he was panting. Eric pressed the doorbell and tried to regain his breath. 

Tom opened the large oak door and stared at Eric with a disturbed glance. 

"What time is it?" Eric asked worriedly. 

"2:10. Next time, leave the outfit." He said, covering his mouth to chuckle. 

Eric blushed. Tom looked amazing as always. He was in a button up with designer logos all over and a pair of slim jeans. His hair was meticulously styled. Unlike most kids at school who styled their hair, Eric could not detect the foul stench of cheap gel. 

_How did I think I could match up to that... I wish I could get out of these stupid clothes._

"Yeah...I will." Eric heard a rap song coming from within the house. He didn't listen to the genre so he had no idea who it was. 

"Nice music." He offered. 

"I know you like your emo shit so I'll turn it off. Too bad, maybe you could learn about good music." Tom said, disappearing from behind the door. 

"Let yourself in." 

Minor offense at the music taste jab aside, Eric was pleasantly surprised. Turns out that Tom had not abandoned him for his much cooler friends. He opened the door, still wary. Maybe he had a plan down the road after he got him inside. 

Eric's mouth fell open as he entered into the foyer. A shiny chandelier was suspended from the high ceiling. The sunshine caught on the diamonds, making them sparkle brighter than they already were. Two winding staircases led upstairs. Eric's steps on the marble floor echoed. He paused. Any closer and he was afraid of tainting the pristine interior.

A statue of an angel with its wings spread and arms raised stood in front of Eric. He glanced at it curiously. It resembled the types of sculptures he had seen on an elementary school trip to a local art museum. Back then, he reached forward to touch one with his grubby little hands. The chaperones scolded him profusely and he never heard the end of it. He refrained from touching the statue upon recalling the memory. The last thing he needed was damaging Tom's family's possessions. With his luck, one touch would send the angel careening to the marbled floor. 

The rap song stopped, cutting off abruptly. Though Eric wasn't fond of the music, the space was even more intimidating with nothing to distract him. It was so quiet that Eric could hear Tom's footsteps upstairs shuffling around. 

"You brought your backpack? This isn't school." Tom bounded down the left stair set. 

"We need the packet." Eric explained, scratching his head. 

"Oh yeah. That's what we have to work on." Tom said, disappearing from the foyer and heading deeper into the house. 

_Should I follow him? I don't want to go somewhere I'm not supposed to..._

Eric listened. His steps seemed to move further, getting harder to hear the longer Eric remained in his spot. 

_I guess I should see where he went._

Eric traced Tom's steps and ended up in a large kitchen. All of the appliances were a pure white. The countertops matched the floor; a gray and white marble. A smaller chandelier hung over the island in the middle of the kitchen. The refrigerator was propped open, Tom fishing a bottle out. Eric had the urge to go over and tell him to shut the door. At his house, his mom frequently made a fuss when he or his brothers left the door open for too long. With the size of the house, he doubted it mattered if Tom held the door open for an hour. 

Tom set a bottle of soda on the counter and twisted the cap off. He lifted the rim up to his mouth and chugged. When he finished, a quarter of the liquid was gone. 

"Want any?" 

Eric looked at Tom, baffled. Drinking from the bottle seemed like a waste. 

_Why didn't he just pour some into a cup?_ "Uhhh... No thank you. I would rather have water." Eric didn't want to ask for anything, but his throat was quite scratchy. 

"Of course you want water." Tom snickered. He took a store bought water bottle out and set it on the table. 

_Evian._

Eric had never had a bottle of this kind of water before. His family got the local brand which was much cheaper. 

"Do you have anything...different?" Eric asked, pushing the water away. Tom clearly had a ton of money, but he couldn't help but feel guilt at accepting the water. 

"Huh... Never took you for someone who was picky with water. I guess I can check." 

"Oh... No that isn't it. I just..." 

_Don't say anything._

"...feel bad. I would prefer something cheaper..." His face reddened. 

_Idiot._

"In that case, you're keeping it. Try it." Tom pushed the water back over to Eric. 

Eric shook his head and placed his hand on the bottle to move it back away from himself. 

"Oh no, I don't think so." Tom pushed the water towards Eric while Eric pushed it towards Tom. The bottle came to a standstill; not moving in either direction. Tom's fingers brushed up against Eric's. 

Eric was so taken aback by the tingle on his skin that his hand slipped off the bottle, propelling it. 

"I won! You have to drink it." Tom victoriously yelled. 

_Did he not notice that our fingers touched? No... Why would he care?_

"Hm. I guess you did win." Eric reluctantly opened the bottle, setting the light blue cap on the counter gingerly. He took a sip. Tom watched curiously. 

"Well?"

"It's pretty good." Eric wasn't a master water taster by any means, but he could tell that the quality was better than most. Just by the small sip, his throat was significantly less parched. 

Tom grinned. "You won't want to go back to drinking other water." He took a swig from the giant soda bottle. 

"Where would you like to work on the project?" Eric asked. As much as he didn't mind having unrelated conversation with Tom, they had work to do. 

"I don't care. It's up to you." Tom said with a shrug.

"Is anyone else home?" Eric's paranoia resurfaced. So far, he couldn't see any impending traps. But maybe Tom's friends were hiding and waiting for Eric to cross their paths so they could jump out and attack him.

"You ask a lot of questions. No." 

_Well that's a relief. Unless he's lying..._

Eric strained his ears to try and pick up on any noise that could possibly be Tom's friends. Nothing. The only noise he could hear was the swaying of leaves from outside.

"You can pick where we work. I don't know the layout of your house." 

Tom grabbed the soda bottle and walked out of the kitchen. Eric took the water bottle and followed him. The room that they came to was open with windows all around. Sunlight flooded the space. Stepping into the room felt like a warm hug. Various couches and chairs sat on top of a tan rug. An entertainment center held an 80 inch TV and rows of movies. 

Tom plunked himself down on the couch, setting his feet on top of the futon. Eric sat down in a plush black recliner. He shouldered his bag off and dug through until he found the packet, which was already quite wrinkled despite not having it for that long. 

"Do you know what the assignment is?" 

"Nope. Don't remember." Tom yawned loudly. 

Eric cleared his throat, ready to recite the instruction page. "We have to choose an element from the periodic table and do an essay, poster, and 3D model." 

Tom groaned, covering his face with his hands. "That's too much. Why don't you do it instead while I sit here and chill?" He clicked the remote and the TV blared to life. 

"Because it's a partner project. We have to work together." He said, his voice being drowned out by the monologue on screen. 

"What? Can't hear ya." 

Eric frowned. "I said we have to-"

"Still can't hear ya!" Tom chuckled, turning the volume up. 

Eric strode over to Tom, trying to grab the remote from his hand. "Give that that!" 

"Hah! No way." Tom retorted, holding onto the remote tightly. Eric let out a hiss of annoyance. 

_So he wants to play like that. Well, I'll show him._

Instead of backing down, Eric kept his grip on the remote. Suddenly, Tom yanked the remote with a strength that he must have been reserving. Eric, not expecting that, toppled onto the couch with Tom. He ended up on top of the boy, his face inches from Tom's. He had never seen Tom so up close before. He saw yellow flecks in his sweet chocolate irises. He felt himself getting lost in Tom's eyes. The project was far from his mind in this moment. 

The whole world had stopped moving around Eric. He couldn't move. He didn't _want_ to move. He wanted to continue to look deep into Tom's eyes for as long as possible. Tom was as caught off guard, his eyebrows arched. The TV droned on.

Tom took the chance to snag the remote once and for all, holding it high above his head.

"Wow, I'm winning everything today. This is great." 

Eric took this as a cue to get off of Tom. He retreated to his chair and cradled the packet in his arms. He read silently to himself.

"You're going to give up that easily, Beckerman? So sad." Tom gloated, taunting Eric with the remote. 

_Beckerman? No one calls me by my last name. Well teachers do, but not anyone else. Huh. That's weird. Why is he calling me that?_

"Why don't you just turn off the TV so we can do work?" Eric suggested, pointing to the packet. 

"If you can get the remote from me, we can." Tom deviously grinned.

_Oh so he doesn't think I'm strong enough? Well, he also doesn't know that I grew up with 4 brothers._

Eric stood up from the chair and walked back over to Tom. He grabbed the remote, not putting much effort in at first to fake him out. Like he suspected, Tom laughed. 

"You're gonna need to try harder than that." 

Eric continued to weakly hold onto the remote before pulling Tom to the ground abruptly. He heard the wind get knocked out of Tom as his back slammed on the ground. Eric wasted no time in pinning him down. The remote hung limply from Tom's wrist. Eric snatched it, dangling it in Tom's face.

"Project time." He smiled before rolling off of Tom. 

Tom didn't move at first. His eyes were wide with shock. Slowly, he dusted himself off and stood up. 

"Well played." 

Eric found the off button and the TV faded to black. "We need to choose an element first. Which would you like to do?"

Tom sat back down on the couch. "I don't know any of them." 

This didn't surprise Eric. Tom wasn't the picture of academia. He spent class time goofing around with his friends and trying to make them laugh rather than learn the lessons. 

"There are a lot. I don't know many of them off the top of my head, but there's Hydrogen, Iron, and Gold. Stuff like that." Eric tapped a painted nail on his knee. 

"Why don't you look them up on your phone and we can pick one?"

_On my phone? I would rather not pull out my embarrassment of a phone._

"I can't. My phone is...broken." Eric struggled to pick an excuse. Sweat broke out on his forehead. Lying always made him nervous. He was never good at it. 

Tom raised an eyebrow. "Broken? What's wrong with it?" 

"It um..." _Think Eric, THINK._ "...has a cracked screen." 

"You can usually see with a cracked screen still. Let me see how bad it is." Tom said. "If it's that bad, I gotta see." 

_Shit. I can't pull out some fancy smartphone that's cracked that I don't have._

Eric's anxiety was hitting peak levels. Any second now and he would be having a meltdown in the chair. 

_I might as well fess up. I don't think I can keep the act going._

"I lied. I'm sorry." Eric spit out, trembling. Tom crossed his arms. 

"Why?" 

Eric inhaled deeply and retrieved his flip phone from his pocket. He braced himself for the mocking laughter, but it never came.

"Well that's okay. Not everyone has the latest phone. Well in that case, we can use my computer. Be right back." Tom said with a small smile. He left the room. 

_Tom didn't mock me? Is he okay?_

Eric sat astonished in the chair. He wanted to use this brief alone time to think about everything that had happened, but his mind raced so fast that he couldn't keep up with it. He had a dumbfounded look on his face until Tom popped back in the room with a MacBook.

"Come over here. We have to share, remember." Tom joked. Eric grinned, appreciating the humor. As he moved onto the couch with Eric, Tom gave Eric a weird look. 

"Y'know, that's the first time I've ever seen you smile. You always look sad." 

Eric, who had finished settling into the couch, froze. He thought his gloomy expressions were something only he was aware of. The notion that Tom had observed his behavior at all was mind boggling. 

"Yeah... I guess I am." Eric averted his gaze from Tom's. His embarrassment made it hard for him to do anything but stare down. 

"Why?" 

_Why? Are you not there when everyone, including you, makes fun of me?_

"...Lots of reasons." Eric kept his answer vague. No one had ever asked him 'why'. No one had ever wanted to know more. He wasn't very comfortable with opening up. He had an instinct that Tom was only doing this so he could figure out and spread his hurt sentiments along. So everyone could really know how pathetic and lonely he was. 

"Like what?" 

_I know why you're doing this Tom, you can't fool me._

"You would never get it. You're one of the cool kids." 

"Try me." 

_Why won't you back down? Stop asking and give up._

Eric grabbed the laptop and began to type in a search for the periodic table of elements. Colorful diagrams showed up, along with various element names. 

"Which one of these looks interesting to you?" Eric asked, hoping he could change the subject. Staying on topic of school was much safer than traversing the tricky labyrinth of repressed emotions. Tom shook his head, as if to reject his evasiveness. 

"That doesn't answer my question. The elements can wait." He defiantly took the laptop from Eric's hands and placed it out of reach. 

"I think a better question is, why do you want to know? So you can run back and tell your friends? So you can mock how weird I am?" The hostility in Eric's voice rose. 

"No. I don't want to tell them." Tom's tone was serious. Eric still didn't believe him. 

"Don't lie to me! You mock me to my face and behind my back, even if you think I don't hear you." Familiar tears welled up in his eyes. His vision was cloudy. 

_Damn it._

Tom frowned and grabbed the tissue box that was on the table in the center of the vast room. He handed it over to Eric. Eric took one of the tissues and dabbed the corner of his eyes. 

"It's... hard being so alone. I say that I'm fine with it but I'm really not. It sucks to feel like you don't fit in anywhere. I get made fun of constantly all the time for everything I do. How I dress, how I accessorize, how I talk, how I paint my nails, how I look. The only time I get acknowledged is when I'm being mocked." Eric let the words tumble out of his mouth. He had never vocalized his pain before. It felt strange to be telling one of the people that contributed to it about the depth of it. Tom listened intently, his eyebrows knitted together. 

"Well...I like your nails." He motioned towards Eric's hands that were folded in his lap. 

Through the intense sadness he felt recounting his misery, a small burst of warmth bloomed in his chest. Eric looked down at his nails. They weren't freshly done. Some of the paint was beginning to chip off. 

"Really?" 

"Yeah. Purple is one of my favorite colors. Not as good as blue, but it's up there." Tom said with a soft smile. Eric dried his eyes. Tom was smiling _at_ him. Tom had a great smile. One that stretched across his whole face. The warmth inside enveloped him, making Eric's pain lessen. 

"Now, how about those elements?" Tom grabbed the laptop and clicked on the diagrams that Eric had found. 

The next couple of hours were spent doing research. Eric had to keep Tom on track, who seemed to want to google random questions such as 'What is the lifespan of a sumatran tiger' , and 'What happens when you swallow gum'. Eric actually started to enjoy himself. While taking notes, he would chuckle at Tom's commentary and remarks. He would even throw in some of his own sporadically. Eric jumped when a car honked loudly. 

Both Tom and Eric turned around. Out the window, Alex's car sat in the driveway. Eric checked the time on the MacBook. It was 5:30pm. Dinner was soon. 

"That's my brother." Eric said, going over to his backpack. He tucked the packet away in its folder. Tom watched, a thoughtful expression on his face. 

"Hey... Beckerman?" 

"Yeah?" Eric's face was pointed down towards his bag as he zipped it closed. 

"Would you like my phone number? Y'know, so we can keep updated on the project and stuff?" 

Eric was glad his face was obscured by the backpack so Tom couldn't see how red he was turning. Never did he think he would see the day where Tom Phelan was giving him his phone number. Yes, it was because of their project, but still. It was a phone number nonetheless. 

"Yeah... That sounds good." Eric let his face cool off before standing up. 

The boys exchanged phone numbers. Alex honked the car again. 

"Sorry. He doesn't like waiting." Eric apologized, quickening his pace as he reached the front door. 

Tom headed off towards the stairs. "See you on Monday." Then, with what Eric swore could have been a wink, he turned around and walked upstairs. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow so that was a massive chapter wheeeew. I feel very tired after that. I wanted to get this up on Sunday but here I am at 1:37am on Monday. So yeah!! Fun stuff:') The things I do for Teric. I said out loud when writing "god they're so soft" because!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love them so much. That remote scene and the scene where Tom says he likes Eric's nail polish have me weak. I can't wait to add more.


	5. Unknown Number

Eric spent the rest of the weekend watching his phone vigilantly. Anytime a noise would would emit from it, he would grab it and flip it open. None of the times it went off were Tom. He threw the phone eventually into his bag, not feeling like being let down any longer. 

_Why do I always get my hopes up? We already worked on the project so of course he isn't going to text me..._

Monday rolled around slowly. Eric was both nervous and excited to go back to school. He didn't have Chemistry on his schedule for today, but he was still hoping to catch a glance of Tom around. 

Tom had been relatively nice for once and Eric was confused. He contemplated the possible reasoning behind this. A lapse in judgement? Forgetting he was the biggest loser in school? He had no clue. His time with Tom didn't even seem real. He had to replay Saturday in his head over and over to remind himself that yes, that did indeed happen. 

He spent so much time reliving the past weekend that it interfered with his productivity in classes. During his English class, Eric was focusing particularly on the moment where him and Tom were fighting over the remote. 

"Eric?" Mrs.Sweeney called out. Eric blinked and looked over to his teacher who had her arms crossed at the front of the room. 

"Yes?" The class chuckled. 

"What's your answer?" 

"Uh...."

_What did she ask? Should I ask her to repeat the question? No, then she'll know I wasn't paying attention._

"....I think the color orange was very significant in the last chapter." 

The small giggles turned into full blown laughter. Mrs.Sweeney gave Eric a perplexed look. 

"Hm. Well I don't think that has to do with the symbolism of Gatsby's car... Okay class turn to page 63." 

Shame washed over Eric. He was always so good in English. He was one of the only students who ever participated. The disappointed expression on Mrs.Sweeney's face stayed in his mind long after she had moved on to explaining an important quotation. 

_Stupid Tom. His stupid hair. His stupid pretty eyes. His stupid kissable lips._

Eric made a great effort to stay present in the moment of his lessons rather than let his mind flicker to the past. He had minimal success. With boring classes like math, it was easy to get sidetracked and fall into an abyss of thought.

During passing time, Eric finally spotted Tom. He was at his locker, putting away some of his books as Tom with his group made their way up to Eric. Labib slammed Eric's locker closed. Eric flinched, startled. 

"Look who it is. Everyone's favorite weirdo." Labib leered, earning a snarky grin from everyone in the group but Tom. His face was neutral, tipping towards upset. 

"That's too kind." Brandon joined in. "He's not anyone's favorite for anything." 

Tori doubled over with laughter. "You got that right." 

Beau grabbed Eric by the sleeve of his flannel, spinning him around. Eric dropped the folder that he had in his hand. Beau scared him the most out of the group. He was so tall that he could easily crush Eric if he wanted to. Eric tried to back up as much as he could, but there was no where to move. They had surrounded him. His only option was to press his back up against the locker. 

"Tom?" Beau looked over to Tom, who was staying out of their harassment of Eric. Everyone had done something but him. 

Tom glanced around at all of the pairs of eyes on him, awaiting for him to do something. He met Eric's scared gaze.

Tom grabbed Eric by the collar of his shirt. The faint trace of a sympathy was erased from his face. Eric coughed. The shirt collar was tight around his neck. 

"They're right. You're such a loser. No wonder you're alone all the time. No one wants to be around you." He let go and Eric fell to the ground. 

_I knew this weekend was too good to be true. I shouldn't have opened up. They all probably know what I said by now. Not only am a loser, but I'm an absolute moron._

Eric didn't bother to pick himself up from the ground. He slumped over and let his eyes stare ahead blankly at the expensive shoes of the group.

"We should get to lunch. I don't want to waste food time on this freak." Brandon said, walking off to the lunchroom. Labib, Tori, and Beau followed right behind him. Tom halted. He looked down at Eric before speeding off towards the rest of the group. When they were out of sight, Eric grabbed his folder and stood up. 

* * * * *

Eric was in a sour mood for the rest of the day. He doodled in the margin of class handouts rather than listen to whatever the teachers had to say. He didn't care. Even when he was called on in History and had no idea what was going on, he just shrugged and went back to his drawing of a skull with a crown of thorns.

Kids continued to mock him, but Eric was too numb to care. He kept playing Tom's words over and over in his head until he started to develop a migraine. 

_I can't believe I thought he was different. Maybe I just looked into things too much. Maybe he's been the same, but I just let my stupid imagination run wild and see signs that weren't there._

Eric was thankful when the last bell of the day rung. He packed up his bag as quickly as he could. He didn't want to be here any longer than he had to. Every second in the building made his annoyance soar. He tore out of the building. 

As Eric walked along the sidewalk that was in serious need of repair, he heard a familiar slew of voices in the distance. He looked over his shoulder. Tom was walking with his friends. Anger ripped through Eric as he searched for somewhere to hide.

_God damn it. Why is this my luck?_

There weren't many places to hide. Eric spotted a few bushes dotting the barren land. 

_I guess it's better than nothing._

Eric dived into the bushes. Twigs and branches stabbed at his limbs as he rustled around, finding a suitable position. There was little room to move. He ended up cramped. The voices of Tom's group drew nearer. 

"-And I told him 'You think I'm really going to do that? Are you kidding me? No.'" Brandon vented. 

"I totally get why you didn't. I wouldn't have either." Tori agreed. 

"Shitty teachers aside, where are we hanging today? Tom? Your place?" Beau said. 

There was a pause before Tom replied. "Yeah, that's fine I guess." 

_The same house I was just at. I wonder if my bottle of water is still on the floor where I left it._

Soon, they were far enough away that their conversation was inaudible. Eric peered through the bushes to make sure they were gone. The only thing he saw was a butterfly flying low to the ground.

Eric crawled out of the bushes. Stray leaves clung to his clothes and nested in his hair. He brushed them out the best he could and walked home. 

Eric unlocked the front door. He slipped the key back into his pocket. 

"Awe the dork is home! Hey Eric." Shaun and Scott were crowding around the kitchen. They were eating from a bag of Lays chips. Eric could smell the grease on their fingers. 

"Hey guys." He gave a small wave before turning to go upstairs. 

"Don't go yet, you just got home!" Shaun whined, shoving a chip into his already full mouth. "We've barely teased you at all."

_I think I had enough of that today._

"I have homework to do." Eric said, going up to his room. Scott and Shaun's groans followed him until he shut the door to his room. He threw his backpack onto the floor and flopped down onto his bed. 

He did have homework that needed to be done, but he couldn't spark a single ounce of motivation to move from his spot. It was much easier to lay on the mattress and let his mind go dull. 

_I should pretend to be sick so I don't have to go to school tomorrow. I don't want to face anyone. I would rather sit up here all day._

Eric sulked for an hour before pulling himself out of bed and getting started on his homework. He laid on his stomach and read the assigned reading chapters for English class. 

_When I came home to West Egg that night I was afraid for a moment that my house was on fire. Two o'clock and the whole corner of-_

_Buzz._

Eric looked up from the smooth pages. That wasn't apart of the novel. He reached into his backpack and grabbed the vibrating phone. 

(6:02 PM): hey

Eric glanced down at the brightly lit screen in confusion. He didn't get many texts. Instead of a contact name, a string of numbers looked back at him. It was someone he hadn't ever texted before. Hm. Not that it narrowed down much.

He didn't reply, guessing it was likely a spam message. Eric set his phone at the edge of his bed and picked up his book. 

_-the peninsula was blazing with light, which fell unreal on the shrubbery and made thin elongating glints upon the roadside wires. Turning a-_

Out of the corner of his eye, the phone glared at him. Eric stopped reading and picked up the phone. He let his fingers dance along the keyboard. 

(6:06 PM): _I think you have the wrong number._

The next text came in rather quickly. 

(6:07 PM): Eric Beckerman?

Eric's eyes widened. Apparently it wasn't a wrong number. They knew his name. 

(6:09 PM): _I guess not. Who are you?_

(6:10 PM): You forgot already? I'm sad Beckerman 

_Beckerman._ Only one person called him that. 

(6:11 PM): _Tom?_

(6:12 PM): The one and only

Eric wasn't sure how to feel. He was still mad at Tom. Really mad. But as angry as he was, he couldn't deny that part of him was exhilarated to know that Tom was on the other side of the screen, texting him back. 

(6:14 PM): _Did you want to discuss the project?_

He couldn't see any other reason that Tom would be reaching out. Especially not after earlier. 

(6:15 PM): No

Not the project? What else did he have to say? There wasn't much that they shared in common. The project was the only thing linking their vastly different lives together. Another text came in to interrupt his bewilderment. 

(6:15 PM): I didn't mean that, what I said earlier

Eric was at a loss of words. It seemed pretty convincing when it came out of his mouth as he gripped onto his shirt before letting him drop to the ground. Eric didn't want to respond. Tom was just going to try and mess with him again. He had more important things to do. Like his reading. 

Eric flipped back to the page he was on before the strange texts arrived. 

_-corner, I saw that it was Gatsby's house, lit from tower to cellar. At first I thought it was another party, a wild rout that had resolved itself into-_

_Buzz._

Eric begrudgingly checked his phone. 

(6:18 PM): I was just saying that. I really didn't mean it

Eric scoffed, angrily tapping a reply back. 

(6:19 PM): _I know you're just texting me so you can show your friends these messages and laugh. Stop texting me._

(6:20 PM): My friends aren't here

(6:21 PM): _Oh yeah? Prove it._

His phone didn't go off for a minute. A smug expression rested on Eric's face. He knew it. His friends were all there, waiting for Eric to say something and-

_Buzz._

Eric lifted the phone up. The screen flashed with a banner that said 'INCOMING PHOTO MSG'. Intrigued, Eric clicked. 

A picture of Tom filled the small phone screen. He had a cocky smirk on his face. Though it was just a photo, Eric felt as if Tom's eyes were reaching beyond the screen and looking deep into his soul. He stared at the photo, blushing. Tom had taken a photo for _him._

He saved the picture to his photo gallery before shooting a text back. 

(6:23 PM): _Hm. I suppose you're right._

(6:23 PM): That's what I like to hear[x]

(6:24 PM): _[x]?_

(6:25 PM): Sorry, forgot that you don't get emojis. It was a smirk

_Damn it Tom. You make it hard to be pissed at you._

(6:26 PM): _Hah. Charming._

(6:27 PM): So I've been told

(6:28 PM): _I'm sure. Did you ever talk to Ava?_

(6:29 PM): I completely forgot about her, No

(6:30 PM): _You might want to. I think if you don't, she'll claw me to death with her long nails._

(6:31 PM): I'd rather talk to you

Eric nearly dropped the phone. 

_I'm really losing it. There's no way Tom just said that to me..._

Eric rubbed his eyes and read the text over again.

_I'd rather talk to you_

Eric knew that Tom couldn't see him, but he still flushed red. He fell back on his bed and buried his head in a pillow. His heart was racing. 5 words. 17 letters. And here Eric was, clutching a pillow to his face. 

(6:34 PM): Hello? You didn't die, did you? 

Eric composed himself long enough to send a message back. 

(6:35 PM): _No. Not unless you count blushing to death._

Eric groaned. _Why did I just admit that?! God, my brain isn't working properly right now._

(6:36 PM): That's a pretty good way to die:)

Eric smiled at the little emoticon smiley face that Tom had typed out, tracing it with the tip of his finger. He hadn't seen emoticons in a long time. They were almost completely written over with colorful emojis. 

(6:37 PM): _Going old school on me, huh?_

(6:38 PM): You can't get emojis, so I have to improvise:)

(6:39 PM): _When do you want me to come over next?_

Eric steered the topic back to the project. He feared if the conversation continued at the rate they were going, Eric would end up revealing more. He could see it now. _'Hey Tom, did you know you have really pretty eyes?'_ Yeah, he didn't need that. 

(6:40 PM): Weekdays are pretty busy for me. How about Friday?

So far away but so soon. 

(6:41 PM): _Friday it is. I should really finish my homework. I'll text you later._

(6:42 PM): See ya then 

Eric put down his phone and took a deep breath. The thumping in his heart slowly but surely calmed to a steady pace. He would be seeing Tom again. Through his small flirtations, his anger had seemingly evaporated. A giddiness remained, making Eric smile. He grabbed his book and returned to reading. 

Eric finished all of his homework at 9:45 PM. His hands cramped badly from all of the writing. He shoved the schoolwork into his bag and retrieved his phone from the tangled sheets of the bed. 

(9:45 PM): Finally done.

He stared at the screen as if Tom was going to respond right away. Disappointment crept into his chest as nothing came.

Five minutes passed. 

_I'm sure he's busy. A popular person like him has more to do than wait around for text messages._

Ten minutes. 

_Very busy. Or maybe his phone got lost. That's always a possibility._

Twenty minutes.

_Yep. Definitely hates me._

His eyes were starting to burn from looking at the screen of his phone for so long. Eric closed his phone shut and went to the bathroom. He set a towel on the sink and prepared for his shower. 

The scalding water felt good on Eric's tense skin. He hadn't realized how much pressure had built up in his back until the hot water ran down the length of his body. He stayed in the shower until thick clouds of steam made it hard to see. 

By the time he dressed and made it back to his room, about thirty minutes had passed. He sat down on his bed. His phone glowed. 

(10:20 PM): Sorry about taking so long. Was playing a video game

Eric's heart skipped a beat. 

_I guess he doesn't hate me. Good to know._

(10:22 PM): _What video game?_

(10:23 PM): Kingdom Hearts

(10:24 PM): _Never heard of it._

(10:25 PM): You've never heard of Kingdom Hearts? Where have you been?? 

(10:26 PM): _Not on Earth I guess._

(10:27 PM): Well when you come over, we need to change that

(10:28 PM): _I have to admit, I'm not the best at video games._

Mostly because his family couldn't afford the consoles. For Christmas one year, Eric got a secondhand PlayStation. Unfortunately, the lifespan was quite short. It only lasted a couple of months before it started to deteriorate. 

(10:29 PM): That's okay. I'll teach you

 _Teach me?_ Eric thought about this for a moment. Tom's hands guiding his on the controller. His cheeks turned pink. 

(10:31 PM): _Good luck. I haven't played in ages_. 

(10:32 PM): With practice, you'll be a pro

Eric chuckled and turned his lamp off. He spent the rest of the night texting Tom until he fell asleep, his phone on his face. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was super fun in terms of format. The texting was a fun thing I wanted to play around with. As you probably noticed, Eric's texts were in italics while Tom's were in normal print. I saw this in another fic and I thought it was a nice way to make it clearer who's text was who's. Onto the next chapter. I've been grinding so hard on this story I feel invincible.


	6. Confusion

Eric counted the days down until Friday. Knowing that he got to see Tom made his shitty week worthwhile. He held his head high through insults and mockery. He didn't talk to Tom much in school. During Chemistry, Mrs.Booth delivered on her promise of not allowing any more of class to be used towards the project. Everyone returned to their old seats, including Eric who was thoroughly bothered by this. 

However, outside of school was a different story. Tom and Eric spent their nights texting each other. Even when the conversations were silly—like Tom trying to debate that the best animal was for sure a dog and not a cat. Eric always went to bed with a smile on his face.

As Friday drew closer, Eric couldn't contain his excitement. The first one to point it out was Alex. 

"You good?" He said, eyeing Eric with concern Thursday night when they were watching TV together. 

"Yeah. Tomorrow is Friday." Technically, not a lie. Although it wasn't the whole truth either. 

On Friday, Eric found it extremely hard to concentrate. The buildup to the day was packed with anticipation, but now that their hangout session was in a couple hours, He was a ball of nervousness. 

Eric bit his already short nails to try and cope with his anxiety. At lunch, he listened to a playlist of his favorite songs. While he enjoyed the music, his nerves were not eased. Seeing Tom in the Cafeteria surely did not help.

When the final bell of the day rang, Eric looked around. He saw Tom leaving one of the English rooms. Labib and Tori flanked his sides, following him down the hall. Eric adjusted his black beanie. He followed the trio who stopped at Tom's locker. 

Eric approached slowly. Tom shoved a pile of messy papers into his locker carelessly. 

"I should go to my own locker. See you later, Tom. Come on Labib. I think I see Beau." Tori said, pulling on Labib's arm. They walked away, becoming apart of the mass of students traipsing the hall. 

Eric moved closer now that Labib and Tori were gone. 

"Hey." Eric said awkwardly. "It's Friday and we're supposed to hang out but we never established a time so I wasn't sure when." 

_Stop rambling, dork. Play it cool. You don't want him to know it's been the only thing on your mind all week._

Tom jerked back from his locker. "Jeez. You scared me." 

"I'm sorry. I didn't know how to get your attention." Eric apologized. A pair of girls passed by Eric and Tom whispering loudly. 

"Why is that freak hanging around Tom Phelan? Ew." 

"No clue. Tom should tell him to go away." They sped walk, occasionally peering back. 

_They can't believe Tom is hanging around a loser like me. I'm not shocked. Though they must not know it's for a project... What if this ruins Tom's reputation?_

"Since you're already here, why don't I drive you over to my house? It will save your brother a trip." Tom slammed his locker. 

_Oh man. Imagine that one spread across the school. 'Tom Phelan drives with freak Eric Beckerman in his car that Eric can't even afford to look at'._

"Okay. He would appreciate that." Eric weakly smiled. 

Tom walked down the hall in the direction that Labib and Tori had gone. 

"Coming?" 

_Oops._

"Yeah." Eric unfroze his feet and followed behind Tom at a safe distance so no one could tie them together. He didn't want to be the reason Tom lost his social standing.

* * * * *

The parking lot was made up of mostly average cars that had a fair amount of wear and tear on them. Original paint was fading and signs of rust were along the sides. Well, that's what Eric thought until he and Tom approached a neon green Lamborghini Huracan. The car was spotless. Not a single particle of dirt was anywhere to be found. The sheen of the paint was so bright, Eric thought the car must've been washed as recently as a day ago. 

Tom clicked a button and the car unlocked. He smirked at Eric, who's mouth was wide open. 

"Ready to go for a ride?" He pulled the door open and sidled into the driver's seat. 

Eric felt the handle with the slightest touch. He opened the door, not as forcefully as Tom had. Eric sat in the comfortable neon green and black passenger seat. He strapped in, pulling the seat belt across his body.

Tom turned the key in the ignition. The car roared to life, the radio already blasting. Tom rolled his window down.

"Ever been in one of these cars before?" He asked with a smirk. 

Eric shook his head. Tom's car was one of the sleek luxury sports cars that looked like it belonged in a fancy racing movie. He shifted around in his seat. 

Tom slipped on a pair of sunglasses and smiled mischievously. He pulled out of the parking lot. Without even going that fast, Eric could tell the car had a lot of power behind it. The engine growled loudly. Once they were out of sight of the school, that's when the real fun began.

Along the main roads, Tom drove relatively safe. He kept near the speed limit, didn't run any red lights, and frequently looked to make sure his path was clear before switching lanes. It wasn't until he took a detour onto the freeway that Tom stepped it up. He pressed his foot hard to the pedal and gave Eric a heart attack in the process. Eric grabbed the side of the car, gritting his teeth. 

_Oh my god we're gonna die. This is it. I'm gonna die with Tom in his expensive car._

Eric looked over to Tom who unlike him, was totally calm. Wind blew through his hair and the sun glinted off his glasses. His hands lightly gripped the wheel. Eric pressed the button for his window, needing air. His beanie almost fell off and out the window. Eric wasn't sure what was louder, the wind or the upbeat song on the radio.

They drove on the highway for a good ten minutes before Tom pulled off at one of the the upcoming exits. Eric was thankful as the wind died down and he could remove his hands from clutching the beanie to his head. His heart pounded to the rhythm of the music as he tried to catch his breath. 

"What's wrong? You don't like a little speed?" Tom teased, driving into his neighborhood.

"I think that was more than just a little." Eric fiddled around with his fingers. He breathed a sigh of relief when they arrived in the driveway unscathed. Tom took the key out of the ignition, leaving the car and walking over to the gate.

Eric didn't immediately move. Though his heart rate was settled, he still felt lightheaded. 

_So we didn't die by some miracle. I'm shocked. Hopefully this is the only extreme thing we do today. If Tom pulls out some exotic pet, I'm out._

Eric glanced through the windshield. Tom was staring back, confused. The gate was wide open. 

_Oh yeah. Still in the car._

Eric walked over to Tom on shaky legs. He followed the boy up to the front of the house. The inside was the same as last time. Same double staircases, same marble floor, and same fragile angel statue.

"Since we are getting started on the poster today, we should work on a flat surface." Eric suggested. "Do you have a poster board anywhere?"

Tom shrugged. "I'm not sure. I'd have to check the basement." He made his way into the kitchen and sat on one of the raised stools at the counter. 

Eric sat down next to him, setting his backpack on the floor. "If you don't it's okay. I can pick one up sometime during the week." 

_Although I don't know how I'll pay for it. Maybe I can ask Alex for some money..._

"No. I'll get one if we don't have one here. They're like, two dollars or something. I got it." Tom said nonchalantly. 

Eric bent down to forage in his bag for a pencil. He grabbed one for him and one for Tom. He turned to hand him the pencil and saw that Tom had vanished from his spot. He looked around. Tom was nowhere to be seen. 

"Tom?" Eric called out. He didn't get a response. 

_Where did he go? I guess he could be in the bathroom? Or looking for a poster board._

After a couple of minutes of silence, Eric realized that Tom likely wasn't in the bathroom or hunting for project supplies. 

_I should look for him. I have no idea where to start. There's so many different places in this house._

Eric stood up. He kept his steps as quiet as possible to hear Tom's movements or voice. Still nothing. He rounded the corner in the kitchen and saw a door ajar. Eric proceeded carefully. Whatever he was walking into had no lights. It was pitch black. 

Suddenly, Eric felt a pair of hands land on his back. He screamed, running away from the hands and out of the dark space back to the kitchen. 

"Oh my god that was so good! Your reaction was priceless." Eric looked behind him. Tom was having a laughing fit. His face was flushed and his eyes were crinkling. 

Eric angrily frowned at Tom, crossing his arms defensively. "That wasn't funny!" His voice cracked which made Tom laugh even harder. 

"Sorry Beckerman, I couldn't resist. You're so reactive." Tom admitted, covering his mouth to stop his laughs from pouring out. Eric stayed standing with his arms crossed, refusing to sit down. 

"It wasn't funny it all." Eric mumbled. His lips formed into a pout. He was genuinely upset. Growing up with older brothers meant that he was victim to jokes of all sorts. From being locked out of the house, to being attacked in the middle of the night. It was safe to say that he didn't have fondness for such 'jokes'. 

Tom lightly punched Eric in the shoulder. "Lighten upppp. Now about the project." He grabbed a sheet of loose leaf and started to make a rough sketch.

"I'm thinking we put the title super big across the front so we don't have to write as much for the rest-" 

Eric kept pouting. He didn't look down at Tom's diagram. Instead, he stared at the microwave. That would show him. Eric wouldn't work until he realized what he had done. 

"-Ohhh and we can add a ton of pictures. Pictures are good. Hey? You listening?" Tom stopped his explanation, seeing that Eric wasn't seated next to him. 

_Hold your ground. Don't give in just because he's looking at you with those sweet eyes._

Tom frowned, poking Eric with the pencil. "Hellloooooo? Beckermannnnn?" He poked him again. 

_You got this._

"Oh come on, don't tell me you're actually upset about my little prank. It wasn't a big deal. It's not like I killed you." 

_No, but you need to understand that your actions can hurt people._

"So you are actually upset." 

_Bingo._

"Fiiiine. I won't prank you ever again."

"Promise?" Eric glanced over to Tom. Tom nodded. "I promise."

Eric held out his pinky. Tom gave him an incredulous look. 

"Pinky promises? We aren't in 4th grade." 

Eric kept his finger out, unwavering. Tom linked his pinky with Eric's with a groan. 

"There? Is that better?" 

They unlatched pinkies. Eric contently smiled, sitting down on the stool. "Yes." 

After the promise, Eric and Tom focused on their project. Tom found a miscellaneous poster board in the basement with other abandoned school related items. They planned out the arrangement of the poster board and found images online to accompany the blurbs of text that Eric was typing up. Tom printed them out and the boys began gluing. 

Eric was pasting a photo of the periodic table with their element highlighted onto the center of the board. Tom was goofing around with some glitter he found in the basement. Out of nowhere, a phone started to ring.

"Ah, sorry that's me." Tom took his phone out of his pocket. Eric snuck a glance at the screen. It said Brandon with an emoji next to his name.

"I'll just be a minute" He whispered to Eric, putting the phone up to his ear. Eric kept quiet, working on the project while listening to Tom. 

"Brando! Hey! What's going on?" Tom paused. 

"Oh, I'm sorry I forgot to tell you. I'm uh...busy tonight." 

Eric dropped the glue stick in his hand and raised his eyebrows. 

_Busy? Is Tom calling off plans with his friend to work on this project with me!? What? Why would he do that? We can work on the project another day. Friday nights are supposed to be fun. He should be out with his friends._

Though Eric couldn't hear what Brandon was saying, he could tell by the tone coming out of the phone that he was not happy with this.

"I know, I know. But we can go to a party another time. I think Noah Wrylock is having one coming up soon." 

"Yeah, that is the same guy that got wasted at Nadine's party and pissed in the bushes. He's a wild guy. Anyways I gotta go, I'll talk to you tomorrow. Tell Tori and Beau I say hi." Tom disconnected the call and shoved his phone away in his pocket. 

"Huh. I think that picture looks pretty good there." He said, reaching for a pair of scissors. 

"You can go hang out with your friends if you want. We can work another day." Eric picked up the glue stick and set it upright. "Partying seems a lot more fun than working on a science project." 

Tom brushed this off with a wave. "Oh no Beckerman. If I recall correctly, we have some games to play once we finish for today." 

_He remembers that? Wow. It's weird to hear him acknowledge something that was only discussed in typed text rather than out loud._

"I'm sure you would rather party than teach video games to a loser." 

Tom cut out a printed picture of a beaker. "Nice try but you're not getting out of this one." He said smugly. 

*****

"Okay see this? Move your character over here." Tom and Eric were done with their poster and had moved to the family room with the giant TV. Tom was coaching Eric on the mechanics of Kingdom Hearts. Eric was struggling. He couldn't tell the jump from the walk button despite Tom's many reminders. 

"I'm never going to get this. I think I'm a lost cause." Eric tossed down the controller. His on screen character bounced up and down, waiting for him to advance them further. 

"No you're not. You'll get it eventually. Here, I'll show you." Tom moved closer to Eric. He took Eric's hand and moved his finger to the correct button. Sora walked across the screen.

Eric blushed, his face growing hot. Tom was focused on the screen, but Eric was paying more attention to Tom's fingers wrapped around his. 

_Just like I imagined. I should still act like I don't get it so he doesn't take his hand away. Hah. Just kidding. Tom knows I'm a bad liar._

"Oh, I just noticed your nails. Blue. I like them." Tom said, glancing at Eric's new coat of nail polish. 

"Thank you." _It's not like I painted them last night because I knew that blue is your favorite color or anything. Psh._

Sora had run into a tree. Eric's finger was still on the button. He was surprised that Tom hadn't taken away his hand yet. 

"Ah, so that's the button. That explains why I couldn't move." Eric said with a small chuckle. He for sure thought this comment would make Tom retract his hand. He was wrong. Tom kept his hand on Eric's. 

Eric, confused, looked over to Tom. "You can let go now." 

"What if I don't want to?" Tom asked, meeting Eric's gaze. There was more color in his cheeks than usual. 

_Don't want to? I'm so lost. I think Tom is playing around like he's known to do. I can see him thinking this is funny._

But the expression on Tom's face was anything but that. He looked at Eric with a certain softness that Eric had never seen Tom possess. His mocha eyes were fixed on Eric as if he was the only thing in the room. Eric's heart pounded out of his chest. His own cheeks filled with light pink. He tilted his head in confusion. He had no idea what was going on, but whatever it was, it felt much more intimate than a video game. 

Eric was caught by surprise when Tom leaned in and pressed his lips against Eric's. At first, Eric wasn't sure what to do. His mind was running in a million different directions. 

_Oh My God. Oh My God. Oh My God. I'm kissing Tom Phelan._

The controller fell onto the ground, but neither of them bothered to pick it up. Every nerve ending in Eric's body was on fire. Kissing Tom felt better than he could've ever imagined. He didn't want it to stop.

Their fingers intertwined together as their lips moved with each other in a perfect rhythm. 

_I'm melting. This is how I die. Tom Phelan kissing me is going to kill me._

They only broke apart because of the sound of a car backing up into the driveway. Eric's whole body was jelly as he stared at Tom with a wide-eyed look. He was panting, his heart going faster than it did when he thought he was going to die in the car earlier. Butterflies soared in his stomach.

_I need some confirmation that just happened. It could be a fluke. There's no reason Tom would kiss me. He hates me. He picks on me with his friends._

"That's probably my mom with dinner. You should head home." Tom said, not meeting Eric's intent gaze. He grabbed the controller from the ground and set it on the table. 

_Are we not going to mention that just happened?_

"Uh, yeah. I'll call my brother." He could barely speak. The past five minutes were a blur. First Tom kissed him, which confused the hell out of him. Then Tom didn't even mention it, making his brain doubly as puzzled. 

Eric went to the kitchen to grab his backpack. He looked back over at Tom who was turning off the PlayStation. 

_No goodbye?_

Eric placed his hand on the handle of the door, pausing. Silence. Tom didn't even do as much as glance over at him. Eric bit his lip and walked out of the house to the sound of heels clacking on the floor. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well it finally happened! Eric and Tom kissed *Cue victory bells*. But as you can see, not all is well still. Poor Eric is all confused, as well as you may be. Stay tuned until next chapter where we see the aftermath of the Teric kiss. Also lemme tell you. Writing a scene with Kingdom Hearts is very hard when you have never played it aha.


	7. Aftermath

Eric stood on the porch of Tom's house for a good twenty minutes before he saw his brother's car. The confused look remained on his face as he sat next to Alex. He threw his bag in the backseat and stayed quiet. He didn't feel like talking. His brain was still trying to figure out what was going on with Tom. Unfortunately, that didn't stop Alex from trying to talk to him.

"How's your project coming along?" Alex asked, rolling out of the driveway. Eric watched the mansion recede into the distance. Already, he wanted to go back. To speak up and ask Tom why he did what he did instead of being a damn coward and slipping out of the house with his tail tucked between his legs.

"Fine." Eric mustered up what little energy he had and let his head lay against the window. The glass was cold, but he didn't bother moving. Sitting up straight was more draining than allowing his head to carelessly be propped up by the window.

Alex's eyes flickered off the road and over to Eric. "You don't sound so certain about that." 

_Yeah, because I have no idea what to do. No idea what to feel._

"It's a lot of work. There are so many different parts." Eric said somewhat convincingly. Alex looked back to the road and nodded. 

"That's why I slacked off in High School. You're a good kid, Eric." 

_Not good enough._

Both Eric and Alex fell silent and the rest of the way home was filled with various honks and the noise of Alex's foot on the clunky pedal. 

The first thing Eric did as he locked himself away in his room was pull out his old computer. He hadn't used the thing in a good amount of time, except for here and there with assignments. He flipped the top open and typed in his password. 

He went to google and paused. The cursor blinked. 

_This is so stupid. I can't believe I'm going to type this in._

Eric looked over his shoulder. Though his door was secured, he was afraid someone was going to barge in and read his search bar. With a deep breath, he started to type. 

_'What does it mean if someone kisses you and then after doesn't say anything and acts like it didn't just happen?'_

He held his breath as the results piled in. Combing through them, he saw that most of them had to do with kissing. Although they weren't exactly what he was aiming for. 

_'3 ways to respond after a kiss'. 'How to know when to kiss the girl'. 'The ultimate kissing guide'. None of these are any help. Ugh. Forget it._

Eric closed his laptop and set it aside. He spent the rest of the night listening to music and hoping his phone would go off. 

He continued his isolating trend into Saturday and Sunday, only leaving his room for meals. Shaun, Scott, Daniel, and Alex noticed that Eric wasn't as talkative as usual. They would knock on his door and ask if he wanted to watch TV with them. Eric either ignored them or made up lame excuse after lame excuse. 

His phone still hadn't buzzed all weekend. At one point, he thought it was dead. 

_That explains why Tom hasn't texted me. Finally, things are starting to make sense._

Eric grabbed his phone. He clicked one of the buttons. The display screen lit up. He sighed and threw the phone onto the floor. 

_There goes that theory._

Eric laid on his back and wrapped himself in a cocoon of blankets. He stared up at the ceiling and counted the indents. That got boring pretty quickly and his mind naturally drifted to school.

_What am I going to do? Do I also act like nothing happened when I see Tom? No... I don't want to act like that. I want to bring it up. We need to talk about this. It hasn't even been that long and I'm already going crazy. I don't think I can just ignore it._

Now that he settled on mentioning the kiss, Eric mulled over the best way to bring it up. There didn't seem to be an ideal time. No matter what, it was going to be an uncomfortable situation. 

_Definitely when he isn't with his friends. God. I can imagine if they found out. Or if the whole school found out. That would go over terribly. I'll just have to find Tom when he's alone. Great. That doesn't happen much._

Eric went to school on Monday with his plan loosely in place. He would try and find Tom during an isolated moment and awkwardly transition to the kiss. No pressure.

All day, nerves gnawed at the lining of his stomach. He couldn't pay attention in class. Words that came out of his teacher's mouths sounded nonsensical. When it was time for lunch, Eric didn't eat. The smell of food alone made him nauseous. Ingesting it would be impossible.

So far, Eric hadn't seen Tom. Not in the halls and not in lunch. He started having suspicions that Tom may have stayed home in order to avoid him.

_He certainly didn't seem like he wanted me in his house afterwards. I would understand. Kissing me is pretty gross..._

Except when Eric went to Chemistry, he learned that wasn't the case. He arrived at class before it officially started. He sighed in relief. It was nice to not be nearly late for once. Mrs. Booth was sipping on a mug at her desk. She looked up as Eric walked into the room.

"With how many students are behind on the project right now, I'm giving you today to work on it. Go sit with your partner and get started." 

Eric glanced towards the back of the room where Tom was known to sit. Sure enough, he was there. Beside him was Brandon. 

_At least he didn't stay home from school so he wouldn't have to see me. That's good news. Hopefully my good luck increases from here._

Eric squeezed through the tables till he reached Tom. Neither Tom nor Brandon bothered to look up as he stood behind them.

"Labib just got one of those! It's so sick. I hope I get one this year. I doubt it though. The're sold out at most places." Brandon said. Eric tapped him on the shoulder. Brandon whirled around, annoyed. 

"Oh it's Tom's little project partner. How sweet. Why are you coming over here? We're busy." 

While Tom had still come to school, Eric didn't feel any less ignored. Brandon had pointed him out, but Tom didn't even bother to glance up. Eric's insides shriveled up. 

"Mrs. Booth said we have class time to work on the project today. We need all the time we can get." He dug his nails into his palm. Not hard enough to draw blood, but enough to create a small sting. 

Brandon glared as he stood up from the chair. He shoved it towards Eric, hitting him in the stomach. Eric gritted his teeth in pain as Brandon walked away. 

"We have most of the poster potion done so we can finish that up this class." Eric sat down, turning to face Tom. 

_Good Eric. Start on neutral ground. No jumping into it right away._

Tom didn't respond. He stared straight ahead with an irritated look on his face. Eric frowned. 

_Something could have happened at his house. I shouldn't make assumptions or bring up the fact he looks angry. He could lash out at me._

"If you didn't, we can work on starting the 3D model. That's the trickiest part of the project for sure, but I think we can do it." 

Nothing. Tom was as frozen as the angel statue in his house. Eric didn't even see him blink. 

Eric grabbed a piece of lined paper out of his backpack and a pencil. He started to make a rough sketch. 

"So maybe if we-" Eric was cut off by Tom flicking the paper off the table. It floated to the ground. 

"I don't care about this stupid project. Anything we come up with is fine. It doesn't matter." He mumbled into the sleeve of his crew neck sweatshirt. Tension suffocated the air, making it hard for Eric to breath. 

"I know it isn't a particularly interesting project, but it counts for most of our grade and we should try our best." Eric picked the model drawing back up and placed it on the table. He flinched as Tom stood up abruptly from his seat. 

"I. Don't. Care." He stormed out of the room. The door closed behind him with a resounding _slam._ Students looked to each other and started muttering. 

"Is Tom good? He seemed really upset." Eric heard Ava say from across the room. 

"Yeah... Honestly I think he has been off all day ." Sarah affirmed. 

_Fuck it. I'm going to go see where Tom went. If something is seriously bothering him, then he doesn't deserve to be alone._

Eric pushed in his seat and went up to Mrs. Booth. 

"Is it okay if I go check on Tom?" 

Yes of course. Just don't take too long, Mr. Beckerman." 

With a quick nod of thanks, Eric dashed out of the room. He glanced around the empty hallway. No one was in sight. Eric walked forward until he heard a loud noise from around the corner. He followed the noise and saw Tom hitting a locker with his fist. 

Eric ran over to Tom. The locker wasn't damaged but he couldn't say the same about his fist. His knuckles were bright red. 

"Tom? Are you okay?" Eric called out in a timid voice. He had never seen Tom so enraged before. Tom stopped beating up the locker and turned around. 

"You..." He growled, narrowing his eyes. The sweet, soft eyes that Eric had grown very fond of were nothing of the sort. Every ounce of kindness and warmth was turned into a flashing rage. 

"W-What? Did I do something?" Eric asked, backing up a bit. He feared the answer. 

"Stay away from me. I don't want to talk to you. I don't care if it's for a project. I would rather fail that than see you again." Tom snarled. The words were so venomous that Eric started to feel sick. 

"Is this about the ki-" 

"LEAVE ME ALONE." Tom shouted. His voice bounced off the lockers. He pushed Eric to the floor roughly and angrily walked away. His footsteps were heavy on the ground. Eric still heard them long after Tom was away. 

Eric went from feeling mildly hurt to full on aching in pain. Not only from the fact that he had been thrown onto the ground, but also because of Tom's harsh words. 

_He would rather fail than see me again. He hates me. It's my fault he's so upset. Why do I ruin everything?!_

Eric didn't restrain the tears that poured down his cheeks. He laid in a ball until the bell went off. When he heard the ring, he covered his face and did something he had never done before. Instead of going to his next class, Eric ran out of school through the front doors. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok this chapter hurt my s o u l to write so just know that if you feel sad reading it, I feel your pain (I say as the author of the fic). We all need to collectively hug Eric, he deserves it. I finished this chapter sooner than I thought so yay!! This fic is a wild ride of angst and sweet moments so... I hope you're enjoying the roller coaster so far.


	8. Sick

Eric left school and didn't go back. He walked all the way home and threw himself in bed and sobbed. All of his emotions came out the more tears he shed. Eric didn't want to leave bed. No, not just bed. He didn't want to face the world at all. 

Everything was overwhelming. His emotions, school, Tom. Maybe if he stayed in his room forever, they would disappear. Well, them or him. He was fine with either. 

Around dinner time, Shaun yelled out that it was time to eat. Eric didn't move. He turned to face the wall. Steps drew closer to his room. A prompt knock came at the door.

"Eric? You coming?" The voice belonged to Scott. 

"I'm not hungry." He replied, staring blankly ahead. It wasn't a lie. The desire to eat after the whole Tom mess made him lose his appetite completely. 

"Okay. We'll save some if you get hungry later." Scott bounded back down the stairs. Eric was glad. Now he could sulk in peace. 

Eric decided that he wasn't going to return to school all week. He didn't have the slightest energy for that. If one more thing happened to him, he felt like he was going to break into a million irreparable pieces. Tuesday morning, he enacted his plan by sticking a thermometer under hot water. He ran back to his room and stuck it under his tongue. 

"Mom, I don't feel good." Eric did his best impression of being confused and fevered. His mom came rushing into his room. She flicked on the light switch.

"What's wrong, honey?" She spotted the thermometer jammed in Eric's mouth and took a peek. She gasped. 

"102.6!? This isn't good. You're staying home from school."

_Perfect. Thank you water trick. You never fail me._

"I have to go. I have an in class essay during History today!" Eric feigned concern. For good measure, he added an extra dramatic cough. His mom waggled her finger at him. 

"You can make up the essay another day. You need to focus on lowering that fever. I'm going to get you a cold wash cloth." She walked out of the room and Eric smiled to himself. 

_A whole day to be alone. This is amazing. I can't wait to listen to music and tune everything out._

His mom came back and placed a dripping wash cloth against Eric's head. He shivered, pulling the blankets tighter around him. 

"I should call off work so I can stay home with you and make sure you're okay." She said, keeping the cloth pressed to his skin. Eric shook his head. 

"No. That isn't necessary. I can watch after myself. Besides, we need the money."

She couldn't argue with that. "I'll make sure one of your brothers stay home then." 

_Fine by me. They'll leave me alone all day like I want._

"Okay. That works." Eric said. A drip of water from the cloth rolled down his face. His mom kissed him on the forehead. 

"I should get going to work then. Text me if anything changes or if the fever gets any worse." She closed the door behind herself and Eric grinned. He removed the wash cloth and set it on his bedside table. 

Eric fell back asleep. Apparently he had not had as many hours as he was supposed to. His dream consisted of him and Tom joking around and smiling at each other. When he woke up, the pain that it was just a dream made his heart hurt. If only things were that simple and easy. 

The ache stayed with him all day as he moved on to listening to music. He had the volume turned up all the way and didn't notice Alex creeping into his room. Alex yanked out one of Eric's earbuds. 

"Shouldn't you have that cloth on your head? Not that you really look sick... Wait. Water trick?" 

Eric cursed. "Yeah. How did you know?" 

Alex sat on the corner of Eric's bed. "Please, I was the inventor of the water trick. I used it many times during the course of my school years." He said with a nostalgic smile. 

"It's a good one. You aren't going to tell mom?" 

"Of course not. But I'm curious. Why do you want to avoid school? I usually did it to get out of assignments or skip with my friends. I get the feeling that isn't why you're doing it." 

_Damn he's good._

"Stuff." He wasn't sure how much to reveal. Alex and him were very close in their younger years, but as they aged they had grown apart. Sitting with Alex felt a bit like old times. Where he and his brother would share secrets or come up with stories together. 

"Well yeah. What kind of stuff?" Alex prompted. Eric sat up in bed. 

"I haven't really talked about this with anyone. I'm scared." A wave of nerves surged through his body. Just admitting out loud that he was afraid was huge. Eric was used to repressing his emotions and shoving them deep down. 

"That's okay. Stuff can be scary to talk about. I won't judge." He swiped his hand across his chest and stopped once it was over his heart. Eric's eyes widened in disbelief. 

_Our promise sign? I haven't seen that in so long. I'm surprised he remembers it. He must be serious about this. We've never broken one before._

Eric bit his lip and prepared to tell Alex a shortened version of every wild thing running through his mind. Just enough so that he got the picture without having to go into immense detail and relive all of the sadness he had felt over the course of the past couple of weeks. But what came out was much different. 

"It started when I got paired with the most popular guy in all of school..." 

The summary quickly derailed into extensive explanations. The first time he went over to Tom's house. Their weirdly intimate moments. Tom still making fun of him after said moments. The kiss. The weirdness after the kiss. Tom freaking out on him. It felt cathartic as opposed to the hurt he thought he would feel. Alex listened intently, staring and nodding at various points until Eric finished. 

"And now he hates me and I don't know what to think." Eric said, his voice faltering. He looked up to Alex, not sure what his reaction would be. He had just unloaded and he knew it was a lot to take in. Alex didn't even know he liked guys. 

"Well," Alex began. "I think he's confused about his feelings. If he kissed you then he must like you at least a little. But if he showed he liked you, he would get exiled by his friends. Or maybe not. High School might've changed since I was there."

"I guess that could be true. But... I don't know. I think maybe he was trying to get off the couch and he accidentally kissed me or something." Eric said with a sad laugh. 

Alex snorted. "I don't know about that. I think you should wait a little before trying to talk about it. He might need more time."

That sounded reasonable to Eric. He didn't plan to reach out to Tom after the altercation anyways. 

"Oh, and you never told me you were..." Alex trailed off, scratching his head. Eric's face heated up. 

"Uh... Yeah. Sorry about that." 

"I've missed a lot, huh?" Alex stated. Eric detected a bit of regret in his voice. 

"It's okay. I'm not exactly open about it." He consoled. 

"Well, I'll be downstairs if you need me. Enjoy your time being 'sick'." Alex stood up and left Eric to be by himself. 

Eric's spirits were higher after his talk with his brother. It felt good to just sit with him and let everything out that had been building up. He listened to music for the rest of the day. Around 9 at night, his phone buzzed. Eric heard the buzz over the music and reached over to grab his glowing phone. He flipped it open and read the screen. 

(9:06 PM): Where were you today? You weren't in class

 _Tom._ If he recalled correctly, Tom had told him to leave him alone in his rage fueled rampage. 

_Why is he texting me? He's supposed to be staying away from me, per his words. This is the opposite._

Eric started to text him back, but stopped mid message. 

_You know what? He doesn't deserve a text back._

Eric tossed his phone across his room and had an early night, falling to sleep within minutes of discarding his phone. 

*****

Eric used the next couple of days to his advantage. As a result, his mental state was much better out of the toxic school setting. Alex would come up to Eric's room throughout the days, making conversation over mundane things. For the most part, there weren't many disturbances.

Well, besides the texts from Tom. Since Eric had ignored the first message, Tom had sent several more by the time it was Thursday. 

(10:05 PM, Tuesday): Are you okay?

(5:30 PM, Wednesday): You also weren't in school today either

(6:21 PM, Wednesday): I know I said to leave me alone, but I want to make sure you're okay. You never miss school 

(3:07 PM, Thursday): Still nothing. We had more time to work on the project. I finished the poster 

(8:19 PM, Thursday): Eric? 

_He's never said my first name. He must be concerned. I feel bad. Maybe I should say something._

He thought about the hallway incident and all the confusion Tom had brought unto him. 

_Nah._

On Friday, Eric rolled over in bed to the gentle morning light. He stretched, letting his arms go up over his head. He smelled the faint scent of cinnamon from breakfast wafting up to his room. His stomach let out a growl. His hunger was finally returning to normal. Eric wrapped a blanket around his shoulders and made his way downstairs.

Eric couldn't find the the cinnamon food so he made himself a bowl of cereal. Spooning the soggy pieces into his mouth, Eric thought about the past week. 

_I already know I missed so much. I don't want to make up all that work. I bet I can milk this sick thing for longer._

Eric placed the empty bowl in the sink and headed back upstairs. He fell back asleep until his phone woke him up. He swatted around, trying to discern where it was. 

_This better be important. I was having a nice nap._

His hand wrapped around the small phone and he groggily squinted at the screen. 

(3:31 PM): Ok that settles it, I'm coming over. 

Eric no longer was dazed. He sat up straight and looked over the text again. 

_Come over? How? He doesn't know my address._

Eric peeked out of his door as if Tom would be standing there right away. He of course was not. Eric went back to sitting in bed and pressed his hands up to his mouth. 

_Should I tell him not to? I don't know. This is assuming that he knows where I live. Which, I'm pretty sure he doesn't. He could just be trying to scare me into replying. Well, I won't fall for it._

Eric stubbornly crossed his arms and watched his phone closely. No more messages came through. 

_Hah! I knew it. You can't fool me, Tom._

Eric happily cued up his music. He listened to much more lighthearted songs than yesterday and previous days. It was a nice break from his normally dark themed verses. He caught himself bopping his head to the beat.

"Eric?" Scott called out. Eric barely heard his voice over the volume of his music. He paused the song and walked over to the door. 

"Yes?" 

"There's someone here to see you." Scott said. "I'm surprised. I didn't know you had friends." 

"Who?" Eric asked, as confused as Scott. Scott shrugged. 

"Dunno. Some guy with an obnoxious green car." He turned away and walked down the stairs. Eric was baffled. 

_Green car... Hm... Sounds familiar. But there's no way it's him. Nope. Absolutely not._

Eric followed Scott and went to the front door. Sure enough, Tom was standing there. His neon car was parked in the driveway. Eric saw his eyes light up as he came into view of the door. Eric narrowed his eyes. 

"What do you want?" He asked, looking over Tom's outfit. He was wearing a denim jacket with a hood and a pair of jeans. 

_As mean as he's been, I have to admit that he looks good. Damn it._

Tom started to say something, but Eric realized the glass panel of the door blocked his voice from being heard. Eric warily opened the door and held it for Tom. 

"I can't hear you. Come inside." 

Tom grinned and obliged, walking through the door into the much smaller foyer. He looked around the house. 

"Awe. Your house is cute, Beckerman." He reached over and touched a small lamp that was on a table near the entrance. 

_Back to Beckerman? He's acting like nothing happened... Unbelievable._

"So what did you want?" Straight to the point. No dawdling around. Eric didn't want to have a talk filled with skirting around the obvious. Tom's eyes widened, not expecting him to be so direct. He rubbed a hand along his chin. 

"We should talk somewhere more private." He said, eyeing Scott who was chowing down on a snack in the kitchen.

"Fine. Where do you want to talk?" 

"Your room." 

Eric nearly choked on air. His room? Not outside, but his room? For the first time since he was in school, a spike of nervousness bloomed. 

"It isn't clean." Which was true. Although that wasn't why Eric was trying to sway Tom. Having him up in his room felt extremely intimate and personal. All his belongings were in the open and not to mention... his bed. 

"That's okay. My room usually isn't clean." 

_Ok so he doesn't seem to want to budge. Might as well just get this over with. The sooner we talk, I can go back to my music._

"Just know that I warned you." Eric led the way up the twisty stairs to his room. He stopped, his hand on the handle. Now that he was actually at the door, he was having seconds thoughts. 

_I can't do this. I can't do this._

Tom glanced over at Eric and raised an eyebrow. 

"Did you go to the wrong room?" 

"No." He turned the handle to evade anymore questions about his evident nerves. 

With Tom in his room, he spotted more flaws than usual. A book out of place in his tall bookshelf, a pile of old school work, dirty laundry that should've been in his hamper on the floor. 

_Hopefully he doesn't pay attention like how he doesn't in school. That would be good._

Eric sat down on his bed. Tom's head bounced in every direction, trying to take in everything. Eric wasn't able to tell where he was looking at any given moment. 

"Wow. You have a lot of books. You could have your own library." Tom took Eric's copy of _Catcher and the Rye_ and flipped through it. 

"I guess... Though I don't think you came over to talk about books. You hate reading." Eric pointed out. Either Tom didn't hear him or didn't let on that he did because he then turned to the posters on Eric's walls. 

"Hm. Never heard of these movies before. Interesting choices." 

"You're stalling." Eric bluntly stated. 

"Stalling? Psh. No. I don't stall." Tom replied, poking an action figure on Eric's dresser. 

_He is stalling. I think he might actually be nervous. Tom Phelan nervous to see me? That's new._

"Ok... So I might be stalling." Tom confessed. He stopped fiddling around with various things in Eric's room and sat next to him on the bed. His full size bed felt much more full than normal. 

"I wanted to talk to you about...y'know...stuff. But first, why haven't you been in class?" 

"I said no more stalling." 

"I'm not. I want to know before we go into what I have to say." Eric tried to read his face. He seemed to be serious. 

"I've been sick." Eric lied. Tom saw right through him. 

"You don't look sick. I don't think that's the real reason." 

_That didn't work. I'm such a bad liar. I really need to work on that._

"I needed to get out of school. I was very upset. I mean... I _still_ am. You hurt me." Eric kept his gaze on the ground. He knew Tom was staring right at him. He thought talking about his feelings with Alex was challenging, but this was whole different level. Tom frowned, not speaking at first. 

"I know I did. That's what I came to talk about with you." 

_Wow. I might get some answers and not be as confused. This could work well in my favor._

"I shouldn't like you. I'm supposed to like someone that hangs around my crowd. I know you don't get it, but that's how it is when you're popular. Wait. I didn't mean for that to sound condescending. Shit." Tom cursed. He covered his face with his hands and groaned. 

"I practiced this and I still can't say it. Jesus." He rubbed his temple and tried again. 

"You're... you know..." 

Eric cut in. "Loser Beckerman. Yeah. I know." 

"There's no nice way to really put that, is there?" 

Eric shook his head. "Nope." 

"But you get what I'm saying. And... Never mind." Tom dismissed the thought. Eric lifted his head up. 

"What?" 

"No... It's nothing..."

_That doesn't sound like nothing._

"Point is, I like you even though I shouldn't." Tom said, his face reddening. Eric finally made eye contact with him.

"If you like me, then why didn't you say anything after you kissed me?" There. The question was out. Tom shifted uncomfortably. 

"I don't know. I'm an idiot." He shook his head at himself. Eric couldn't believe it. 

_It wasn't me. Well, it kind of was. But still._

"Are you sure it's not because I'm gross? I think it may be that." Eric asked. Despite what Tom had just revealed, he was still convinced in his notion of his own repulsiveness. 

Without warning, Tom grabbed Eric's face in his hands and planted a kiss on his lips. Eric didn't have any time to process what Tom was doing. The kiss was as good as the first time, if even better. He had kissed Tom twice now and both times made Eric feel like the world was spinning really fast but frozen simultaneously. He had no idea how long they were kissing for before Tom pulled away. 

"Still think that I think you're gross?" 

"If I say yes, will you kiss me again?" Eric said, giggling.

Tom rolled his eyes and smiled. "So sneaky. While we're on the topic-not really- would you like to come over tomorrow to work on the project? Saturdays are kinda our day." 

Eric nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! That sounds good." 

"Good." Tom grinned. "Before I go, why don't you show me around your room? I'm curious about those comic books over there."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not teric related but?? I really love writing the relationship with Alex and Eric. Sibling goals tbh. I got inspo from wishing I was closer with my younger brother. That's sad... Oops. But yes another chapter down. I wrote this while being very exhausted and having a headache so I hope it's not terrible.


	9. Room Tour

"I'm fine. My fever is gone. You can check." Eric said as he laid in bed Saturday morning with his mom hovered over him. He had just asked about going over to Tom's house. She was still convinced that he was sick. 

"I don't know. You still might not be completely better. Hanging out with someone isn't a good idea." She worriedly said, placing another blanket around Eric. 

"I'll be okay. If I start to not feel well, I'll text you and you can pick me up." Eric reassured. The mass pile of blankets surrounding him was starting to get very warm. He peeled the new addition away from his body. 

"Okay, but don't push yourself." She caved in. Eric tried to hide the grin that threatened to break out on his face. Tom had made an unexpected visit to his house yesterday. At first, he was apprehensive and upset. But after talking with him, Eric felt much better. He was much looking forward to going over to Tom's house since he left. 

Once his mom left the room with an unsure glance, he started to get ready for the day. He took an extra long shower to wash all traces of being locked away in his room for a week. Instead of putting on some outfit that made him feel like a silly poser, Eric wore a band shirt, ripped jeans, and a red flannel. He touched up his nail polish so the royal blue shone. 

Eric padded downstairs with his backpack slung over his shoulder. Alex and his mom were having a conversation over the kitchen counter. They stopped as they both looked to see Eric enter the room.

"I have to run some errands, so is it okay if Alex takes you over?" 

Eric nodded. "Yeah." 

Alex finished the apple he was biting and grabbed his keys that were hanging on a wall hook. 

"You got it. I'll go start the car and get it ready." 

Eric sat on the ground and slipped on a pair of combat boots. His mom looked down on him as she sipped her steamy mug of tea. 

"Oh dear, those shoes look so ratty. You should pick another pair." 

"I like them." Eric patted the front of the boots and walked over to the door. "I'll see you later."

"Have a good time." She said with a wave. 

"I'll try." 

Eric walked outside and joined Alex in the car. 

"I heard that Tom came over last night. How did that go?" Alex asked as Eric settled down in his seat. 

His first instinct was to say something minimal or give a half-assed reply. He had to remind himself that him and Alex were starting to be open with each other again. 

"It was... good. I was really upset at first but we ended up talking about stuff and we're both okay.. I think. I never really know with Tom." 

Alex pulled out of the driveway and down the road. "Good. He better not hurt my little brother." 

Eric groaned. "Alexxxx." 

"Hey, I have to be a good older brother. I would be shitty if I let some kid make you feel bad. Tell him that if he messes with you, he'll have to answer to me." 

"I'm definitely not doing that. You'll scare him away." 

"That's the point." Alex grinned. 

As much as Eric was rolling his eyes and groaning, deep down he appreciated the sentiment. It felt nice to know that his brother had his back. 

"Stay safe and have a good time. Though, I don't know how much fun you can have working on a science project." Alex said, arriving at Tom's house. Eric chuckled and opened the door. 

"Most of the fun doesn't come from the project, that's for sure." He grabbed his bag. Alex burst out laughing. 

"Sounds about right. I'll be back later to pick you up." 

Eric shut the door and walked up to Tom's house. This was the third time he had been there and he realized that the more he was there, the less intimidating it was. 

_I used to be so scared of coming here. It's funny to think about._

Eric rang the doorbell. A soft chime sounded. The door opened within seconds; Tom standing there in an Adidas shirt and joggers. He let Eric in. 

"Now this outfit is much more you." 

Eric winced as he thought about the look he had worn the first time he came over. Not one of his finest moments. He stepped inside onto the rug and undid his boots.

"You don't have to take your shoes off." Tom said. Eric saw that he had on a pair of sneakers on. 

"It's okay. We do at my house so I'm used to it." He set the boots upright on the rug and glanced around. 

To say the house was messier than usual was an understatement. When Eric was over prior times, he couldn't spot a single thing out of place. Everything was dusted and maintained. The floor practically sparkled. What he was looking at now was the opposite. 

Cups and bottles sat on furniture. More alcoholic beverages were concentrated in one area than Eric had seen in all of his life put together. Some of the bottles were broken shards spread around the once clean marble floor. A hat hung off of the angel's sculptured locks. 

"What happened here?" Eric asked, concerned. Seeing the house in such a state of disarray was very worrying. 

"Parents are gone for the weekend and I hosted a party." 

"This is awful. I'm gonna help you clean it up." Eric headed over to a pile of beer cans and collected them in his arms. Tom shook his head. 

"You don't need to clean up. It's not your mess." 

"I'm not going to let you do this all alone." Eric insisted. "Go get some garbage bags. We have work to do." 

They cleaned for nearly an hour before even making a slight dent in the mess. Eric's hands smelled like cheap beer and he wished he had asked for gloves. At first, Tom sat back and observed Eric. He propped his feet up on a trash strewn couch and dictated to Eric when he missed a spot. 

"Why don't you come out and help me?" Eric suggested, throwing various wrappers into a large black trash bag. Tom yawned and dismissed the request. 

"I'm good sitting here. But you're doing a good job Beckerman." 

"Remember Tom. This isn't my mess. You're making me do allll the work for a party I wasn't even invited to." Eric said, trying to guilt Tom into joining him. He stopped cleaning and looked over to Tom, pouting. 

"Oh don't look at me like that." Tom groaned, struggling to resist Eric's puppy dog eyes.

"Pleeeease Tommmmm?" 

"Fiiiiine." Tom said, succumbing to the pressure. He grabbed a garbage bag and knelt beside Eric. 

They worked for a couple of hours until the house was almost restored to its initial state. Tom messed with Eric and placed various cans on his heads and shoulders. They would fall right away most of the time, but the few instances where they managed to stay put always made Tom howl with laughter. 

"Ew! Some of these aren't fully empty." Eric exclaimed, swatting a dripping can away. Tom stuffed the can into a bag. "Oops." 

Eric stepped back and assessed the house. Pillows were back on proper couches, all traces of alcohol was shoved away in the trash, and the hat from the angel statue was removed. 

"Nice, high five." Tom said, holding out his hand. Eric slapped Tom's hand. 

"Unfortunately, we still have to work on the project." 

Tom exasperatedly sighed. "Yeah... that." 

*****

"I think using clay is a good idea for a model." Eric commented, rolling a piece of clay into a ball. 

"I like the clay too." Tom had made his portion of clay into a snake. Eric looked over at the snake. 

"That isn't our element." He squished the snake and made it into a ball. Tom gasped and snatched the ball from Eric.

"Noooooo, how could you?!" He wiped a fake tear away from his eye. 

"We've been working for awhile. I think you're getting restless. We should take a break." Eric said, eyeing Tom who had starting spinning in his chair. 

"I never thought you would say that. Thank god." Tom jumped off the chair and bounded to the stairs. 

"Where are we going?" Eric called out, chasing after Tom who was already half way up the the left staircase. 

"Room tour!" 

_I get see Tom Phelan's room? Oh boy. I don't know if I'm ready for this. I mean Tom was in my room yesterday... but still. It feels strange._

Eric walked onto the steps. Looking at them from the bottom was one thing. Climbing them was another. He was out of breath when he reached the top. Before rushing off to find Tom, he took a second to regain his composure and gaze down at the mansion from above. Eric leaned over the railings that wrapped around the upper floor. The chandelier's details were more visible up here. He could see individual crystals glittering. 

"You coming?" An impatient Tom yelled out. Eric flinched, nearly falling over the railing. He turned around and saw rows of doors. 

_Which one of these is Tom's? I have no clue. They all look the exact same to me; white doors with golden doorknobs. I'm lost._

"Uhhhh Tom?" 

"Yes?" 

"Where are you?"

Tom popped his head out from a door farther down to the right. "You should've been following more closely." He teased, disappearing back behind the door. 

Eric went to the room and opened the door. No amount of preparation could've made him not gasp out loud when he saw Tom's room for the first time. 

Tom was sprawled on a king size bed with blue sheets and a fancy headboard backing it. Two pillars went to the high ceiling and stood symmetrically by the bed. Matching curtains tied by a golden fabric were pulled back so the window could stream in light from outside. In front of the window was a long chair decked with pillows. Along an opposing wall was a giant gaming setup with multiple monitors and a glowing keyboard. A dresser with a round mirror and more of the blue curtains was near the bed. 

"Oh...my...god..." Eric said, dropping his mouth open wide. 

_This is someone's actual bedroom?! No way. I know Tom is rich but this is so much._

"I think your bedroom is better." Tom said. Eric couldn't tell if he was being serious or he was just being cheeky Tom. 

"Oh yeah? Compared to this?" Eric asked, staring at a circular rug that the bed sat on top of. 

"Yeah. It's more personalized." Tom said, tapping his finger on the ottoman at the end of the bed. 

_Can't argue with that. But I would trade my personalized bedroom for this in a heartbeat. I'm pretty sure if I combined all of my brothers' rooms and mine, this one would still be larger._

"I'll give you the tour." Tom rolled off the bed and onto his feet. He walked over and began pointing out furniture in his room. Eric watched in disbelief, only hearing some of what Tom was saying. 

"-you can tell blue is my favorite color. I told my mom my room had to be blue themed. She wanted it green, but I refused. Beckerman? You good? I think you need to pick up your jaw from the floor." 

Tom saying his name snapped him out of his shock. "Oh... Yeah. Sorry. It's just... overwhelming." He took a seat on the edge of the bed. 

"You got used to it after awhile." Tom joined Eric on the massive bed. 

"It's so comfortable." Eric said, patting the mattress. 

Tom laid back. "It's even better when you lay down. Try it." 

Eric sank into the mattress. "Oh... wow." Tom was right. Laying fully on the bed was like laying on a soft cloud. Unlike his own bed, there was plenty of room for the two of them. 

"What's it like to have all this stuff? To live in this giant mansion?" Eric suddenly asked, looking over at Tom. He widened his eyes. 

"Huh... no one has ever asked me that. Hm." He paused to think. 

"Of course it's great. I have stuff that other kids can only dream of. I don't have to worry about money. But...No, I don't want to sound like I'm complaining." 

"Go on." Eric urged. He was curious at Tom's answer. 

"It's hard to tell who likes me for me and who just wants to hang out in my house and use my stuff." Tom said, looking up at the ceiling. Eric frowned. He didn't think about this side of Tom. He saw him as the suave rich kid with a plethora of friends. 

"I like you for you." Eric said, reaching down and taking Tom's hand in his own. Tom looked over to Eric and smiled. 

"You might be one of the only people." 

"What about Brandon? Beau? Tori? Labib?" Eric named his closest friends. 

"I don't know. I don't think they're just using me, but you never know." 

"What about your family?" Eric inquired. He hadn't seen Tom's family besides hearing his mom's heels clacking on the floor. 

"I don't see them much. Mom and dad are always working. We don't eat as a family. They bring me home dinner or tell me to order it depending on the day." Tom was speaking slower. His eyes flickered away from Eric. 

"Any siblings?" 

"Yeah. But we never see each other. Even when I was growing up, they excluded me..." 

Eric thought about his own brothers. Despite them not being as close in later years, they were still close knit. 

_I played with my brothers all the time when I was younger. Tom didn't have that. He must have been so lonely..._

"I'm... sorry. I hope you get closer to them one day." Eric wasn't sure what to say. Nothing he could think of would remedy what Tom felt. 

"Yeah. Me too..." The room fell silent. With the amount of space, it made the silence even more tense. 

"Is it okay if I say something?" Tom asked, breaking the quiet. 

Eric nodded. "Yeah. Of course." 

"When did figure out you were...y'know..." Tom said, trailing off. 

"Gay?" 

"Yeah." 

"Hm," Eric let his gaze fall on the ceiling like Tom's had. "I was probably 8 or something. I don't know what age. I know lot's of people say they always knew, but I didn't. I thought only liking guys was normal until I compared that to the people around me." Talking aloud about his sexuality was strange. He mused about it sometimes to himself, but never to another person. It felt both uncomfortable and therapeutic. 

"Do you think you'll ever grow out of it?" 

"Grow out of it? No. I don't think you can grow out of who you are. Why? Do you think you will?" Eric turned the questioning back onto Tom. It was a weird thing to ask. It was reminiscent of homophobic relatives.

"I hope so." Eric didn't expect those words to leave Tom's mouth. "I'm supposed to like girls. I feel dirty and wrong." A tear formed at the corner of Tom's eye and rolled down his cheek. 

_He must've been struggling with his sexuality for a long time. That makes sense. As someone who's popular, he's expected to uphold social norms. One of those norms being straight. I can't imagine how stressful that must be._

"You're not dirty or wrong. It's okay that you like boys." Eric reassured, looking at Tom softly; not that Tom could see Eric. Tears completely obscured his vision. Eric sat up and held his arms open. 

_He'll probably reject my hug but it doesn't hurt to try-_

Tom wrapped his arms around Eric and buried his wet face in the crook of Eric's neck. Eric was surprised. He patted Tom's back and let him cling onto him for as long as he wanted.

"You're fine how you are." Eric added. Tom looked up at him with moist eyes. A small smile tugged at his lips. 

"Thank you... I'm sorry for going all deep there. You probably think I'm a loser and not the cool guy you saw in the hallways of school." 

Eric wiped Tom's tears away. "Not at all. I think you're even cooler." 

Tom went back to resting his head on Eric and the two sat cuddled up for the rest of the afternoon. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Making Tom a complex character?? I'm here for it. It's kinda funny actually because when I first started watching Tom, I thought he was so cool and perfect. Then I learned about his past and heard him open up emotionally about stuff and was like ?? Wow I did not expect that side of Tom?? So yeah the parallel of that and how in the fic Eric figures out stuff about Tom is cool. Also Eric comforting Tom is my everything thanks


	10. Game On

Back at school, Eric sat in class and mentally relived the weekend. After him and Tom cuddled, they played video games. Eric was much better thanks to Tom's assistance and he survived a match without even dying once. He was sad when Alex had come to pick him up. Thinking about the day he spent with Tom helped the boring classes go by faster. 

Since their last hang out, Tom made more of an effort to not completely avoid Eric like he usually did. Sometimes, he would catch Tom staring at him and when Eric caught him, he would wave. When they stood near each other in the lunch line or passed each other in the hallway, they would brush hands for the briefest second. Though it was undetectable to most people, it made the butterflies in Eric's stomach flutter every time.

As badly as he wanted to hold Tom's hands for just a second longer, he knew it was impossible. Tom was always surrounded by his group of friends and others who liked him. It was too risky. 

On Wednesday, Eric sat alone at lunch. Not that he minded. The menu for today was a dish claiming to be a taco. He didn't buy it. As he ate, he listened to music through his ear buds. He didn't pay attention to the group that was approaching him.

"Hey Eric." Beau loudly said, sitting down next to Eric. Eric took out one of his earbuds and turned to face Beau. 

_I don't like this. I have no idea what he wants, but I doubt it will be good._

He scanned the group. Tom was nowhere to be seen. 

"Yes?" 

"We just wanted to invite you to come play basketball with us." 

Eric cocked his head in confusion. 

_Basketball? I'm not good at sports. I try to stay out of the way in gym. I think Beau has me mixed up with someone else._

Eric looked down the table. No one else was there besides him and Tom's friend group. 

"Er... Have you ever seen me play basketball?" 

To his surprise, Beau nodded and smiled. 

"Yeah! That's why we want you to play. We're going to be playing in teams. I call dibs on you." 

_Dibs?! Beau called dibs on me?! I think I'm in an alternate universe or something._

"When is the game going to be happening?" 

"After school. Meet at the basketball court after your last class. Hope to see ya then." Beau and the rest of the group sauntered away. Eric was still at a loss of words. He poked the taco on his tray with a fork. 

_Okay so that was weird. I have no idea why they would make an effort to reach out to me. Hm... Maybe Tom told them to be nicer to me? That would be sweet. But I don't know. I guess I can go and check it out. I don't have to stay._

Eric ate in silence while thinking about the impending basketball game. He was quite nervous. He didn't have experience with basketball. Well, unless you count running away from the ball in terror. When the bell rang, Eric walked to his next class all jittery. 

*****

"Do you know how to get to the basketball courts?" Eric asked to Mr.Horton during History, which happened to be his last class for the day. Mr. Horton nodded. 

"Take a left, a right, a left, and then walk downstairs. Once you get down the stairs, there should be a pair of doors. Not the front doors, but the back doors. Take those and walk down the path. The courts should be to the left." 

Eric tried to get that all down. He wasn't the best at directions, so just hearing them laid out was overwhelming. 

"Can you repeat that?" 

Class is starting. Ask me again after." Mr.Horton walked over to a stack of packets and handed them out to the class. Eric took a seat and tried to focus on the reading instead of basketball. 

Eric was thankful when the bell rang. Students rushed out of class as he hung behind. One kid rammed into his shoulder trying to leave as fast as he could. Eric rubbed his shoulder and went to Mr.Horton. He was wiping the whiteboard clean. 

"Can you repeat that now?" Eric said. Mr.Horton set down a black marker and gave the directions once more. This time, Eric was ready and retained more. 

"Thank you." He left quickly, wanting the instructions to be fresh in his mind.

_Left, right, left. I got this. Ooh there are doors like he said there would be. I hope these are the back ones..._

The crisp Autumn air nipped at Eric's skin. He squinted, trying to figure out where the courts were. He saw a run down path of small pebbles and assumed this was the one in the directions. He walked along the path, small rocks crunching under his converse. 

_So far so good. I think I hear something._

Eric came up to a basketball court that was gray and red. On the court was a much larger group than Eric had anticipated. Not only was Tom's clique there, but there seemed to be half of the school. A flash of panic surged through him. 

_There are way too many people here. I think I should try to sneak out before they notice me._

Eric turned to leave the court but a yell halted him. 

"You decided to show up, nice. We're about to pick teams. Good timing." Beau jogged over to him and clapped him on the back. Eric nearly fell over. 

_Oh I can't wait for this. Being picked last is one of the only things I'm good at._

Eric gave a weak thumbs up and walked over to the massive crowd of people gathered. Most of them wore loose shorts and tank tops. He felt extraordinarily out of place in his flannel and ripped jeans. He tried to blend in as best as he could.

"I'm going to be a team captain and so is Brandon." Beau pointed to Brandon who made a fist and let out a loud 'Woo'. Beau stood on one half of the court and Brandon stood on the other. 

"You can pick first. I know I'm going to win." Beau smugly said, crossing his arms. Brandon chuckled and rolled his eyes. 

"Yeah right. We'll see about that." 

"So who's your first pick going to be?" 

"Eric." Brandon grinned. "Where is he? Eric?" 

"Oh no, I called dibs. He's mine." Beau smirked, motioning to Eric. Eyes in the crowd turned to him. Eric flushed red and wished the court would open up and swallow him whole. 

_Please stop looking at me. I hate it._

Eric reluctantly emerged from the crowd and stood in between Brandon and Beau who continued to fight over him. 

"Technically Beau did say he wanted me on his team first." Eric pointed out. Beau cheered and pulled Eric over to his side. 

"You heard him. Pick someone else." Brandon stuck out his middle finger towards Beau. He looked over the crowd. 

"Tom. Get your ass over here." 

_Tom?_

Eric was so caught off guard by the huge concentration of people that he didn't even check for Tom. Sure enough, Tom came running out of the crowd. As soon as he joined Brandon on the court, loud claps followed.

Eric glanced over what Tom was wearing. He had on a pair of Adidas track pants and a plain white t-shirt. 

_He always looks so good, even in the simplest stuff. I'm both jealous and attracted at the same time._

He and Tom made eye contact for a short second before both of them looked away. Tom fist bumped Brandon. 

"We got this. Your turn, Beau." 

Beau and Brandon took turns naming off who they wanted on their teams. By the end, each team had about twenty people. Eric watched Tom goof off with his team and wished he was beside him instead of on the opposing team. 

A blonde girl Eric didn't know by name walked up to the center of the court. "I'll be the referee." She grabbed the basketball. Brandon and Beau squared up. 

"Okay. 3, 2, 1." She tossed the ball up in the air. Beau had the clear advantage, being much taller than Brandon. His hand made contact with the ball. It flew behind him towards Eric. 

Eric poorly dribbled the ball down the court. He didn't make it far before Labib shoved him and took control of the ball. 

"Better look next time." Labib taunted as he took off down the court. He shot the ball into the basket and scored. 

"You'll do better. This was only the first point." Beau said, helping Eric up from the ground. Eric forced a smile on his face and vowed to try harder. 

_Beau picked me. I don't want to fuck this up for him. I also don't want to look stupid in front of Tom. I have to try harder._

Eric tried as hard as he ever had during any sport. He slapped the ball away from the other team when it was possible and tried to not to let the other team take the ball from him when he had it in his possession. He made baskets at several points in the game. 

Then, it was down to the final minutes of the game. The scores were evenly matched. Whoever scored the next basket would win. Eric wiped his forehead that was dotted with sweat. Beau called his team in to a huddle. 

"We got this. Eric, I want you to guard Labib. He's one of the best players out there. Make sure he can't make this next basket." 

_I can do that._

"Okay." Eric said, smiling. The thought of winning was so close he could taste it. Since he had stepped up his game, he had done much better. Despite not wearing proper basketball attire, he was managing. 

Normally he didn't care about winning at sport types of things. But whether it was Beau acting like he had confidence in Eric or the surprised cheers when he scored, he wanted to pull this off for his team. He got in position.

The referee threw the ball up. Beau knocked it towards his team. Tori got it first, dribbling and passing to a girl with black hair. She moved down the court and passed to Eric. 

The ball was barely in his grasp before he felt an extremely cold sensation all around his legs. Eric looked down and saw that Labib had pulled his pants down. His pair of plaid boxer briefs was exposed to all forty people on the court. The game stopped. 

Both teams broke out into a loud chorus of laughter. Labib stepped away from Eric, a smirk wide on his face. Eric looked over to Beau. He was laughing too, his large body heaving up and down. 

Eric fumbled to pull his pants up. His hands were incredibly shaky. He had never been more embarrassed in his life. The entirety of his face was a sheet of ruby. Tears cascaded down his warm cheeks as he bolted off of the court. The chuckles followed him all the way to the bathroom he hid inside. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Baaaack to some good ol angst and drama, my specialty. Next chapter will continue with what happens directly after the incident with Labib. I wanted to split this up into two chapters so it was easier to read (and for suspense). Also! I was showing my mom some teric videos and she thinks they're dating. I have done my job :)


	11. Choices

School bathrooms were objectively disgusting. Eric tried to not use them unless he had to. But in this moment of mortification, he didn't care. He was glad to be in the tight stall away from the basketball court. He didn't bother to wipe away the tears that pooled on his cheeks. 

_I really thought they wanted me. Beau seemed so eager to have me on his team. And Brandon and him were fighting over me. Was that all just an act?_

Eric contemplated the true intentions of their actions as he sat perched on the toilet seat. He quieted his crying as the sound of footsteps echoed along the tile. He resumed once they left. 

_And what about Tom? Did he know about this? He promised me that he wouldn't prank me..._

The idea of Tom being in on the spectacle made him sob harder. He leaned against the side of the bathroom stall weakly.

After a good twenty minutes, Eric figured he should go home and resume his crying there rather than in school. He ripped off a square of thin toilet paper and dabbed his eyes. Although it was scratchy, it removed traces of tears. 

Eric walked out of the stall and glanced at himself in the mirror. His eyes were bloodshot and glassy. He turned on the faucet, splashing some water on his face. It helped a little, but it was still apparent he was not okay. 

Eric left the bathroom and slowly made his way to the front doors. He was in no rush. From behind him, he heard someone call out his name. He turned around. 

"Hey... I wanted to see how you were doing." Tom ran over to Eric, panting. The sadness in Eric's chest quickly flipped to anger. 

"How am I doing? I don't know, what do you think?" 

"Yeah, that's what I guessed. I'm sorry, I di-"

"You PROMISED you wouldn't prank me anymore! So what do you do? Prank me in front of a HUGE group of kids?! I can't believe you Tom!" Eric couldn't contain his burning aggravation. Tom flinched. 

"I didn't-" 

"You didn't WHAT?! Another excuse Tom?! I get it, you want to stay fitting in with the cool kids, but how could you? Especially after opening up to each other!" A kid hanging around a drinking fountain looked over to them. Eric was right in Tom's face, glaring at him right in the eyes as he yelled. 

"I didn't know that they had invited you to the game in the first place. Once you showed up, I knew something was off..." Tom looked down, embarrassed. 

"Even if you didn't know, you just stood there! You didn't stand up for me! You didn't tell them that what they did was wrong! You let them humiliate me!"

"I know. I should have-" 

"SHOULD ISN'T GOOD ENOUGH. YOU CAN'T BE ALL TALK." Eric screamed, not caring that a few kids were intently watching and whispering to each other. 

"DO YOU EVEN LIKE ME?" 

Tom stood wide-eyed and trembling. "Of c-course I do..." He said in a lowered tone. 

"You're too afraid to even say it loudly! You're embarrassed of me! That explains why you act so different at your house than in school. You BARELY look at me when we're here." Eric waved his arms around. The onlookers covered their mouths. 

"I'm not embarrassed of you, that isn't true..." Tom's voice wavered. He hung his head, as though he had already given in. 

"Then say it! Tell everyone over there that you like me and that you're not ashamed of me." Eric challenged Tom. Tom nervously peered at the small crowd. 

"There's no need to do tha-"

"Yes there is. C'mon Tom, do it. If you're not ashamed, you'll have no issues doing it." Eric pressed on. 

Tom froze. The words wouldn't come out. He stood there, inaudible noises coming out of his mouth. Eric nodded, as if this is what he expected. 

"See! I told you. You can't just hide me away forever. You're going to have to choose eventually, Tom! What would you rather have, me or your little perfect popular life?!" Eric spit out before storming away. 

Tom reached out to grab Eric's arm, but he was too late. Eric was long gone. 

"What are you all looking at? Show's over." Tom hissed to the group that had accumulated. They scattered, still whispering as they dispersed. 

The doors to the building opened. In walked Beau, Labib, and the rest of the kids who were playing basketball. 

"Oh man, that was great! Did you see the look on his face? We should invite him to more games. I think Tori got a picture on her phone. Hi Tom. Wasn't that hilarious?" Beau asked, elbowing Tom.

Tom gave a forced laugh. "Yeah. Good work Labib." His chuckle sounded so obviously fake, but the others bought it. They fist bumped and high fived each other. 

"Do you feel any better? You rushed off the court pretty quickly." Tori said, laying a concerned arm on Tom's shoulder. Tom nodded. 

"Yeah... I'm fine." He lied. Anything to get off this topic. "Let's go over to Beau's house." 

*****

When Eric arrived at his house, the first thing he did was head upstairs to his room. He was thankful that no one was home. 

_Good. I don't want anyone to hear me pathetically cry._

Eric rolled himself up in his many sheets and laid still. The tears didn't come right away. Only once he started to delve deep into his thoughts did he feel the wet stream down his cheeks. 

_Tom did look like he felt bad when I yelled at him. But still. It isn't an excuse to treat me like I'm disposable._

The moment he realized what Labib had done was stuck on his brain in a never ending loop. All of those faces contorting with laughter in unison. Laughing at _him._ Even when he closed his eyes, he could still see it. 

He didn't realize how loud his sobs had grown until he saw Alex walk into his room with a worried look upon his face. 

_Shit. I didn't realize he had come home._

Eric tried to hastily get rid of his tears but to no avail. Alex wasn't stupid. 

"Eric? What's wrong?" He moved towards Eric, trying to get a closer look of him. 

"Nothing..." He mumbled, hiding his face under his blankets. 

"You're crying. Something is wrong. Tell me." 

"School." Eric's hands begun to shake. Alex noticed and frowned. 

"Worse than usual days? School is pretty shitty even on good days." 

"Yeah... Beau invited me to a basketball game." 

Alex raised a brow. "Beau? One of Tom's friends? Isn't that a good thing?" 

Eric shook his head. "At first I thought it was too. Most of the game was good until Labib..." 

"Knocked the ball away from you?"

"Pulled my pants down in front of everyone." 

Alex's face hardened. "I don't think I heard you correctly." 

"You did." Eric confirmed, biting his nails. A seething look fell over Alex. 

"I'm gonna kill Tom and his little friends."

"No. You don't need to end up in jail." Eric said, looking at him with pleading eyes. He could only imagine what they would do if Alex antagonized them in any way. "Tom said he had no idea." 

Alex scoffed. "You know how he's been. He just wants to save face with you." He paced angrily across Eric's messy floor. "I'm going to take care of this." 

_That doesn't sound good._

"How are you going to take care of it? I don't think you can erase the image of my underwear from everyone's minds."

Alex grabbed Eric's phone and flipped it open. "You'll see." 

Eric leaned up and tried to snag his phone out of Alex's hand. "Give that back." 

"In one minute. Hmmmm. Where is he...Ah! Here we go." Alex clicked on the keyboard and held the phone up to his ear. Eric heard the faint rings through the phone. 

"This isn't a good idea." Eric said, still attempting to get his phone back. Alex moved out of his grasp. 

"Is this Tom? Tom Phelan?" 

_He called Tom?! No! This really isn't good. I need to get that phone back._

Eric jumped to his feet. Alex swerved out of Eric's room and down the stairs. Eric had no choice but to follow. 

"I heard what you did to my little brother and let's just say that I'm not very pleased with you and your asshole friends. Eric already struggles enough day to day. Do you really need to make it any harder for him?" 

Eric groaned. He strained to hear what Tom was saying on the other end, but it was impossible. 

_I am pissed at Tom, but I don't want him to never talk to me again._

"Oh yeah? You think I'm going to believe that? Nice try. Eric may be naive, but I'm not. You aren't innocent." 

Eric couldn't resist commenting. "I'm not naive!" 

"No. You cannot talk to him right now. You're only going to be talking to one Beckerman and it's not him." 

Eric tackled Alex to the floor. Amazingly, he still kept the phone gripped tightly. He pushed Eric off. 

"One second. We're going to finish this conversation in private." Alex climbed to his feet. He ran outside, the door loudly slamming behind him. 

Eric's body hurt from falling onto the ground with Alex, but he brushed it off and rushed as fast as he could. By the time he was outside, Alex was already in his car. Eric tugged on the door handle. It didn't open. 

Alex grinned and waved to Eric through the window. 

Eric slumped down to the driveway, defeated. The car was locked. There was no way he was getting his phone back before the conversation with Tom was finished. Every second that the car doors remained shut was painful to Eric. He could only guess what they were talking about. Not knowing was more anxiety inducing than hearing the discussion in detail, regardless of how bad it was. 

_Alex is probably threatening Tom. I can imagine it now: 'Come near Eric and I'll make sure your legs don't work anymore'._

The sound of the door opening interrupted Eric's thoughts. He backed away from the car and stood up. Alex placed the phone in his hand. 

"See? Taken care of." 

"What did you say to him?" Eric warily asked. Alex smirked and walked up the driveway to the door. 

"That isn't important. All that matters is that you won't be harassed." Alex said, going into the house. Eric was alone, phone in hand. 

_Whatever he said, I'm sure I'll still get bothered._

He glanced down at his phone. He had an urge to call up Tom himself and figure out what Alex said, but decided against it. He was still pissed at Tom and he wanted to make sure the boy was aware. 

Eric went back into the house. Alex was sitting on the couch scrolling through Netflix. 

"Hey, mind if I join you?" 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alex is always ready to fight for Eric what an angel. Thank you for all the positive comments and comments in general. They make my day:) It's good to know that something I put so much effort into is liked.


	12. Frosting Rose

Eric was worried about going to school on Thursday. He considered pulling another sick excuse, but it was too close to when he last did. His mom wouldn't buy it. He geared up and prepared to face the day. 

As he was going to his third class of the day, he spotted Tom and his friends for the first time. They were gathered around a short red-haired freshman who's face was riddled with acne. Confused, Eric slowly moved within viewing range. It appeared that Beau was messing with the kid, towering over him and trying to wrestle something out of the kid's scrawny arms. 

"Leave him alone." Eric boldly said, crossing his arms. Everyone in the group turned to him, taking the attention off of the kid. He sighed in relief and clutched his books to his chest. 

"No. You don't tell us what to do." Tori snickered, making her way to the front of the group. 

"He isn't bothering anyone." Eric said, casting a pitiful look to the kid. 

"You're awfully ballsy for someone that had their pants pulled down. I think you need a reminder." She reached into her pocket, grabbing ahold of her phone. Tom shook his head and laid his hand on Tori's phone. 

"That isn't necessary. I think he remembers."

"Don't ruin the fun, Tom. What's gotten into you? You love making fun of Eric." Tori said, looking over at Tom. 

Eric's gaze went to Tom as well. He was interested in what he would say. 

"I think we should just get to class. We have a minute before the bell rings and the History room is far from here." 

_Classic diversion. Well played Tom._

Tori rolled her eyes and pocketed her phone. "Next time then. You got lucky." She leered, spinning around and marching off to the History classroom. 

Beau, Labib, and Brandon followed Tori. Tom's eyes lingered on Eric. 

"I know that your brother doesn't believe me, but I'm telling you the truth. I had no idea about their plans to embarrass you." He said before walking after his friends. 

Eric wasn't sure what to believe. Tom was known to display confusing behavior, and saying he wasn't informed when he actually was could be true. On the other hand, he didn't think Tom would lie. He wasn't there when Beau approached him with the offer. His brain started to hurt from all the possibilities. 

Eric turned to the kid. "Are you okay?"

He nodded. "Y-Yeah. Thank you for stepping in."

"If they're ever giving you a hard time, just call me over." Eric said. One of the books that the kid had was on the floor. Eric bent down and picked it up. 

_Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets._

"Harry Potter, huh? Nice choice." He handed the thick novel back to the kid. 

"You've read it before?"

"Only each book twice." Eric admitted. Harry Potter was one of his favorite book series. He felt a kinship to Harry. Sometimes it was like he was living under the stairs away from society too. 

The kid looked to Eric in awe. "That's so cool! Who's your favorite character?" 

"That's a hard choice. I know it's basic, but-" 

"Oh n-no!" He exclaimed, peering down at his tacky watch. "Class started a minute ago. I have to get going, but I'll see you later." The kid scurried away, tearing down the hallway. 

Eric smiled to himself. He was proud that he was able to defend a helpless underclassman. 

_If only I was better at defending myself._

*****

The days leading up to Eric and Tom's hangout session were awkward. Neither of them reached out to each other. The most interaction they had was both of them sneaking glances at each other when the other wasn't looking. 

By this point, it was silently agreed upon that they would meet on Saturday. Though, Eric wasn't sure if that had changed since Alex had spoken to Tom. He drafted a text to send to Tom. 

(4:03 PM, Thursday): _Is Saturday still good for you?_

He didn't get a reply until a couple of hours passed. 

(6:47 PM, Thursday): No. Sunday would be better

_Sunday? We've never hung out on a Sunday before. I wonder what Tom has going on during our usual day._

(6:52 PM, Thursday): _I'll see if that works for me._

"Mom?" Eric poked his head out of his room and called for his mom. A pan clanked to the ground. 

"Oh dear, you frightened me. What is it?"

"Do we have anything going on Sunday?" 

"Hm," She paused. "I don't think so, why?" 

"I have to meet up with To- Some kid from school to work on a project." Eric corrected himself mid sentence. He hoped she didn't catch his slip up. 

"Awe sweetie, of course. School work is very important! I'm glad you realize that. Maybe you could pass your knowledge along to your brothers." Eric heard Shaun and Scott wrestling around on the floor. 

_Oh yeah. The primary reason I want to go is for the project. Yeahhhhh, that's right._

"Thanks." Eric disappeared back into his room. 

(6:59 PM, Thursday): _See you then._

*****

"If you take me over to Tom's today, you have to swear you won't assault him." Eric said as he was packing his backpack. Alex was laying on Eric's bed and throwing up a small ball into the air. He rolled his eyes. 

"No promises." 

Eric tucked his phone into his bag. "Yes promises. I think you frightened him enough." 

He wasn't sure of this, but by the way Tom seemed more uneasy whenever Eric was near him, it was safe to say he was at least a little intimidated. 

"It will be even better when I'm there in person." Alex said, chuckling maniacally. 

"No. You just drop me off and stay in the car." Eric restated. He slid on a pullover hoodie over his t-shirt. The weather had begun to grow colder as October neared. 

"Say the magic word and we'll see." 

Eric groaned. "Don't make me beg." 

"C'mon little bro. Let's hear it." Alex cupped a hand around his ear in an exaggerated fashion. Eric rolled his eyes and finished filling his backpack with everything he needed for the project. 

"Please." 

"You can do better than thattttt." Alex trilled. 

"Oh pleaaaaase best brother in the whole world, will you mind your own business and stay in the car?" Eric clasped his hands together and batted his lashes. 

"Only because you were so nice." Alex chuckled. He pulled out his keys and walked downstairs. Eric followed after him. 

"How has he been lately? Causing any issues with you?" Alex said as he hopped into the driver's seat. Eric sat next to him in the passenger seat, shaking his head. 

"No. He says that he didn't mean for me to get embarrassed even though you think otherwise." Eric strapped his seat belt in as the car rolled out of the driveway. 

Alex snorted, his hands nearly coming off of the steering wheel. "Pft. A teenager that doesn't lie. I've never heard that one before." 

"He seems sincere, I don't know." Eric offered up, staring out the window. The leaves were a colorful blur of yellow and red. 

"You can never be too careful. If you open yourself up, that's when you can get hurt." 

"That's true..." Alex did have a point. There is always an inherent risk in being open with someone. It's about if you're willing to take that gamble and put yourself out there. Eric wasn't sure if he was ready for that. Thinking about being hurt again weighed heavily on his mind. 

He observed the falling leaves from inside the car. The fleeting wish came to him that he desired to be one of those leaves. As silly as it was, they drifted so easily in the breeze. For a second, Eric wanted to experience life like that. Going with the flow. Going wherever the world directed him. He much preferred that to thinking until his brain ached.

Despite his intense considerations, the car ride over wasn't too bad. The Autumnal atmosphere brought a smile to Eric's face. Tom's neighborhood was even more beautiful during the prime Fall season. Large trees that stood tall in the yards were gradually losing their colorful leaves; gathering in piles under the foliage. The trees were so bright, they looked as if they were on fire. 

"Tell me how it goes." Alex parked the car. Eric nodded. "You'll hear about it, don't worry." He grabbed his bag and exited the car. By the time he reached the front door, Tom was already there. He opened the door and ushered for Eric to join him. 

"Nice hoodie." He complimented. Eric glanced down. There was nothing particularly special about the article of clothing. He had picked it out at a thrift store. The strings were fraying, but he didn't have the heart to throw it out.

"Uh... Thanks." Eric said, stepping into the house. Immediately a pleasant smell hit his nose. 

"Have you been baking?" Eric asked, unlacing his shoes. Tom grinned. 

"I have. I don't bake often, so I hope it turned out well." 

The thought of Tom in a frilly apron and a white hat rolling dough made him chuckle. Tom looked over at him, confused. 

"What's so funny, Beckerman?" 

"Picturing you baking." Eric giggled. "What marks the reason for this momentous occasion?" 

"For you coming over. I wanted to do something nice." Tom said, blushing. "C'mon, l'll show you." 

They walked to the Kitchen which was covered in flour and frosting. On the counter was a white cake with the words 'I'm sorry' messily scrawled across it. A small frosting rose sat under the phrase.

_Oh my god he made me an apology cake. It's my favorite flavor too. How can I stay mad at that?_

"I know it's not that good. I hope it tastes better than it looks." Tom opened the cupboard and grabbed two plates. He took a knife and lined it up with the cake. 

"What piece would you like?" 

"The flower piece." Eric said right away. Frosting flowers were always the most enjoyable part of a cake to Eric. Whenever it was his birthday, he requested all the flowers be pushed onto his plate. 

"A sound choice." Tom sliced into the thick cake and slid the piece onto a plate. For himself, he cut an equally sized portion out of the word 'sorry'. Tom took a seat next to Eric. 

Eric took his fork and moved to scoop up the rose. Tom stopped him. 

"Allow me." 

He took Eric's fork from his hand and lifted up the rose to Eric's mouth. At first, Eric had no idea what he was doing. 

"Uh Tom?" 

"Open your mouth." 

Eric reluctantly obeyed. Tom gently guided the fork into his mouth. Eric giggled and chewed the flower. It was extremely sweet. 

"That was so good." Eric praised, taking his fork back and going for another bite.

Tom took a bite with his own fork. "Not as bad as I expected that to go." 

They ate their respective slices quietly; both were intent on filling their stomachs with as much cake as they could. Eric couldn't help but made little joyous noises here and there. Tom laughed. 

"Does this mean you forgive me?"

"Keep making me desserts and we'll see." Eric smiled, finishing his large cake piece. 

"Woah there. I barely made an edible cake. Let's not push it." Tom got up from his seat and pulled the clay model out. 

"Now that you're fed, it's science time." 

*****

"We're almost done! Just one more piece." Tom exclaimed, watching Eric carefully add something to the model. 

"Oh don't say that. Now I'm going to mess up." Eric groaned, his hands shaking. He moved closer. 

"You got this!" Tom motivated from the sidelines. Though he was quite shaky, Eric did it. The piece fell into place and stayed there. Eric let out a breath that he had been holding in. 

"Awesome! High Five!" Tom said, holding out his hands. Eric slapped him up and grinned. 

"What do we have to do next?" Tom said. 

"I think we're actually done." 

"With everything?! Fuck yeah! We ate cake, we finished our project. This day could not get any better." Tom danced around the kitchen. Eric laughed. It was a pretty good day. In this moment, he wondered why he had even worried before. The tension with Ton throughout the week had faded. 

"Do you want me to go home? Now that we're done?" 

_Please say no. Please say no. Please say no._

"No. We get to relax and have fun now. I've been dying to give you a tour of the basement." Tom dashed off, his excitement radiating from him. Eric smiled. 

_If it's anything like my basement, it's going to me musty and jam packed with useless items. By how giddy Tom was, I have a feeling it won't be though._

And oh was he right. The basement had a bunch of different sections. Instead of smelling gross, the faint scent of peach filled the space.

"This is our home theater. I love watching movies down here. It feels like a real movie theater." Tom introduced the theater with a grand gesture to the rows of red plush chairs that were in front of a large screen. 

Eric laid a hand along the wood paneled walls and glanced at the purposefully dim lights. "Better than a real one." He remarked in shock. His eyes wandered to a clear, glass cabinet with DVDs. 

"We have everything from _The Notebook_ to _Star Wars._. Pick something out and we can watch it."

Eric skimmed through the cabinet until his hand landed on _The Matrix._ He handed it over to Tom. 

"Haven't seen this one in awhile. Interesting selection." Tom popped the movie into a futuristic looking movie player. The film began right away. The lights on the side of the room shut up. Eric jumped. 

"I forgot to mention that. They're automated." Tom explained. "Where would you like to sit? It appears we have the entire theater to ourselves." 

Eric chuckled at Tom's joke and walked over to the front row. "These are the best seats for sure." He sat down. The plush chair was almost as comfortable as Tom's bed was. Tom took a seat next to him. 

"If you press that button, the chair reclines." 

Sure enough, it did. Eric was almost laying down completely at the farthest setting. He ended up setting his seat back to upright. 

"That's pretty cool. I feel like if I lay like that though, I'll fall asleep." Green code flashed on screen. Eric stopped talking and watched closely. 

Tom and Eric didn't talk much throughout the movie, except for little comments they would make here and there. Eric was so invested in the plot that he didn't notice when Tom slipped his arm behind him. 

Eric glanced over. Tom did indeed have his arm around him. Tom's face stayed neutral, not calling notice to it. Eric blushed and didn't either, afraid that if he did, Tom would take his arm away. 

_Sneaky Tom. Always so smooth._

Eric tested Tom to see what he would do if he tried something. He rested his head on Tom's shoulder. Tom didn't say anything. The only indication that he felt Eric's head was a tiny smile playing at his lips. 

They stayed close together until the credits rolled on screen. The lights slowly grew brighter. The boys looked at each other with embarrassed smiles. Cuddling in the dark was one thing, but in the light was another. Eric lifted his head. 

"That was great. Let's watch another." He eagerly stood up and went to fish out another movie. He stumbled upon a blank DVD. Taking it out, he glanced at it all over. The only thing written was 'VID 4' on the cover in permanent marker. 

"What's this?" Eric brought the DVD over to Tom. Tom quickly snatched it. 

"Uh, don't know. Pick another movie." Eric looked into his eyes. They were much more shifty than normal. He tried to take the DVD back, but Tom wouldn't let him. 

"I think we should watch that one." Eric insisted. Tom shook his head fervently. 

"Nah. How about a superhero movie? We have plenty of those." 

Tom recalling the superhero movies distracted him enough that his grip on the DVD case loosened. Eric pulled and freed it from Tom. He held it into the air victoriously. 

"No. Now where is the DVD player?"

Tom gulped. "Eric, we really don't need to. Trust me. It isn't good."

"What's on it?" He asked, waving the DVD around. Tom's eyes followed it's every sway.

"I..." Tom's voice cracked. He stared at the blank case with widened eyes. 

"We can just play it and find out." Eric spotted the DVD player. He opened the case and slid the shiny DVD into the slot. He grinned and sat back down in his seat, feeling excited to see what Tom was trying to hide from him. 

Tom curled up in his seat and hid his face in his hands. The screen jumped from being dark to a shot of Tom's bedroom. Tom came into frame within a few seconds. Eric made an noise caught between a gasp and a laugh. 

"Hi guys! Tom here. Today, I'm going to be doing a popular challenge that's trending online. It's called the cinnamon challenge. You take a spoonful of cinnamon and eat it. I guess it makes you almost die or something? I don't know, but we're going to find out!" 

The shot changed to one of the kitchen. Tom was pouring cinnamon onto a spoon. He took a whiff. 

"Wow that smell is really strong. Good, but strong. I don't have a good feeling about this." 

He paced around, small grains of cinnamon falling off of the spoon. 

"I'm just gonna go for it. 3, 2, 1!" Tom jammed the spoon in his mouth. It didn't take long for the effects to set in. He started coughing, brown clouds leaving his mouth. 

"Water!" He choked, sticking his head under the faucet. 

Tom continued to dramatically freak out. The next frame was of Tom back in his room. He was shaking his head. 

"I see what they meant. Internet challenges are called that for a reason." He coughed once more and went to put his hand over the camera. The screen went to black. 

Eric turned to Tom. "That was hilarious! You should upload that somewhere." He meant it. He found himself chuckling as he watched Tom lose his composure. 

Tom looked self conscious, a rare look for him. "Thanks... It was fun to make. Even if I almost died in the process." His face was bright red.

"I didn't know you liked to make videos." Eric smiled. Tom looked down. 

"Y-Yeah. I want to be a filmmaker. I don't even talk about it. My friends would call it lame and ridicule me..." 

"It isn't lame at all. You have a real knack for it. Can we watch more?" 

Tom raised his eyebrows. "You _want_ to see more?" 

"Yeah! That said video 4 so I know there are at least 3 more." 

Tom smiled and ran his fingers through his hair. "If you really want to." 

*****

Six videos in and Tom and Eric were in hysterics. They were watching Tom's on screen antics and Eric was providing a hilarious commentary, fueling their laughter. 

"You dressed up in a cardigan and a bucket hat? Wow, I never knew such a fashionable being as yourself was capable of stooping so low." Eric burst out.

"Just for the video! I wouldn't wear that in public!" 

Eric was enjoying the videos very much. He liked that in them, Tom didn't hold himself back. He let his full goofy and silly side show. It was a drastic shift from the cool and nonchalant popular kid he saw in school. In the videos, he looked like he was having a genuinely good time instead of worrying about appearing cool. 

As the sixth video wrapped up, Eric loudly clapped.

"That was great. The mock fashion show at the end really sold it." 

Tom bowed. "Thank you, thank you. I thought so myself."

A metaphorical light bulb flashed over Eric's head. "I have an idea!" 

"Shoot." Tom said, glancing at Eric with curiosity. 

"Let's make a video. Together." 

Tom looked pleasantly surprised. "Not a bad idea Beckerman. Not bad at all." He fetched a video camera and grinned. 

"Video time it is." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> W O W this chapter was very large. So large in fact I am having to split it up into another part. So yeah next chapter will obviously be about the video and some other stuff. I love that Tom opens up to Eric about wanting to be a filmmaker (and it relates to Tom irl). Also!! The cake scene was not even planned I just came up with the spot. I'm glad I did because it was adorable


	13. Winner

"Hey guys! Today I'm here with... uh..." Tom struggled on how to introduce Eric. Eric chuckled and gave a small wave to the camera pointed at them. 

"Eric Beckerman. From Tom's school." 

"Noooo don't say that. That's a secret." Tom whined. 

"Oh, my bad. Well yeah. Hi. I'm Eric." 

"We're going to be having a competition on who can make the best food."

"Wait what? You didn't say that's what we were gonna do." 

"Surprise," Tom grinned widely. "We will have thirty minutes to make something and then we'll try each other creations." 

"Not fair! You know where everything is, it's your house!" 

"Touché. Ok, to the kitchen." 

Tom picked up the camera and its stand and carried it up stairs. 

"What if someone comes home? It is night now." Eric asked, glancing out of one of the many windows at the darkened sky. 

"It's okay. When my parents come home, they usually go straight up to their room." Tom set the camera on the counter and steadied it. 

"Hmmmm. The resolution isn't clear enough." 

Eric watched Tom fiddle with the camera. 

_Awe he's so cute when he's all focused. He really enjoys this. It's a shame he has to keep this part of himself hidden._

"You hear that?" Tom looked up from his camera. "It sounds like a buzz noise." 

Eric strained his ears to listen. "That could be my phone. I'll check." He rushed away to locate his backpack. 

_Where did I leave it? I think maybe in the family room? We were in there for a little... Maybe the front door?_

Eric scoured Tom's house until he saw his bag slumped by his combat boots. He dug out his phone. Sure enough, that was the origin of the buzzing. 

"Hello?" He didn't bother checking the caller ID before bringing his phone up to his ear. 

"Whew. I'm glad you're okay." Alex was on the other end of the call. 

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" 

"I sent you several texts. You didn't answer and I worried because it's getting late." 

Eric checked the time stamp in the corner of the screen. 

_8:02 PM. Damn. I knew it was late, but I didn't think it was that late._

"Sorry about that. Me and Tom got caught up watching stuff." 

Alex's tone became wary. "Yeah? How was that?"

"Good. Pretty fun." 

"That's good. When do you want me to pick you up? Mom probably wants you home soon since you have school tomorrow." 

"Uh," Eric glanced over to the kitchen. Tom was framing the shot and muttering to himself. "Not sure. I'll get back to you on that shortly. Talk to you later." He clicked off the call before Alex could interrogate him further. He put his phone back in his back and made his way back over to Tom.

"Sorry about that. Alex was worried." 

"I'm glad you answered him. If you didn't, he would probably tell people I kidnapped you." Tom chuckled. 

"Probably." Eric wandered in front of the camera. "Are we ready to shoot?" 

"Yep! Get ready to have your ass kicked." Tom grinned, pressing a button on the camera. A red light started blinking.

"It's time to get started. Good luck Eric." Tom held his hand out. Eric shook it. 

"You're going down." Eric said, putting on his game face. He wasn't competitive much, so the rare times he was were intense. 

"Ready, set, go!" Tom yelled, turning around and ransacking the cabinets. Eric ran over and the fought for space. He had no idea what was in the cabinet or what he was going to make, but he needed something. 

_I think I'll go with a pasta salad. I make that usually when it's my turn to make dinner. Hopefully all of the ingredients are here._

"Heyyyyy don't take up all our room here." Tom complained, clutching a small jar of basil. He snatched up a couple more seasonings and headed to the fridge. 

Eric stopped staring at Tom, which was quite hard, and turned his attention onto his own dish. After a lengthy search, he found all of the different ingredients. He alternated between cutting cucumber, tomato, and cilantro. 

"Ooh how fancy." Tom remarked, nudging Eric. Eric blushed, keeping his eyes on the fresh food. He turned a dial on the stove and let his pot of water reach a boil. 

Once the water bubbled, Eric tossed in a box of store bought pasta. Tom scoffed.

"Boxed pasta? Tsk, Tsk. I think I got this one." 

"We only have ten minutes left. At least I'll finish on time." Eric taunted with a sly smile. He went back to attending to his vegetables. Tom made an offended face. 

"Excuuuuuse you? What did you say?" Tom moved closer, cornering Eric against where he was slicing a tomato. 

Eric turned around. "Oh, nothing." He said, looking into Tom's eyes. They were inches apart. Eric felt his hand sliding off of the knife he held. 

"Nahhh, say it." Tom stared Eric down. Eric's eyes flickered down to Tom's lips. Familiar butterflies flapped in his stomach. Being so close to Tom always made him nervous. Even if they were supposed to be doing a challenge. 

"Make me." Eric dared. The knife clattered onto the counter. Tom smirked and lifted Eric's chin. Eric flushed red, glancing down at where Tom had placed his finger. When he looked back up to meet Tom's gaze, he was surprised with a gentle kiss on the mouth.

Eric made a small squeak , leaning back onto the counter. He and Tom kissed for a long moment. As Tom kept his finger on Eric's chin, Eric wrapped his arms around Tom's neck. 

"How about you say it now?" Tom said, pulling away from Eric. Eric stared softly at Tom, his heart pounding. 

"I think you should edit out that part of the video." Eric said, still in a daze. Tom winked. 

"We'll see. Back to the cooking." 

Eric found it incredibly difficult to cook while thinking of Tom's soft lips on his own. He almost cut his finger on accident.

_If I injure myself, it's his fault. He can't just kiss me like that and expect me to be all normal after. Either he doesn't know how much power he has over me, or he just likes to mess with me. It could be either._

Eric strained his pasta and let it sit out while preparing to add all of the separate parts of the dish. First, he added the cilantro, tomato, and cucumber. Then, he moved to garlic and cheese. He mixed the bowl, making everything combine. The green and red stood out against the golden shade of the pasta. To top the bowl off, he sprinkled in salt and black pepper. 

"And that's time! Put your hands up." Tom called. His shirt was covered in flour. Eric giggled and held his hands up. 

"Let's see if you can beat me." Tom brought his pan over to Eric and set in front of him. A small pizza with pepperoni and tons of cheese had heat pouring off of it. 

"Not bad. I can actually tell what it is." Eric joked. Tom grabbed a pizza cutter and rolled his eyes. 

"This pizza is going to be the best you've ever had. You'll see." He rolled the sharp cutter over the pizza. 

"You pick what piece you want." Tom said, grabbing a napkin. 

Eric chose a moderately sized slice. He took a bite without thinking of the steam coming off of the pizza. He cringed and took the piece out of his mouth. 

"Ow!" 

"I didn't mean eat it right away," Tom chuckled. He set his slice on the napkin and let it cool down. 

"I'm hungry. Couldn't resist." Eric said, frowning. His tongue felt numb. "Can I have some water?" 

Tom opened the fridge and tossed a water bottle over to Eric. Eric failed to catch it. The bottle fell to the ground. 

"No wonder you never participate in gym class." 

Eric retrieved the bottle and took a sip. "Exactly." 

"The pizza should be cooler by now." Tom bit into the slice. "Ohhhh yeah. You aren't beating this." 

Eric eyed Tom suspiciously. He took a small bite. 

_Huh. This is pretty good._

"If the film career doesn't work out, you should consider a culinary path." Eric said, pizza in his mouth.

"Wowwww. Love the sarcasm." Tom noted, taking another bite. 

"Oh no, I'm being serious. You did well." Eric finished his slice and wiped his fingers on a napkin. 

"You still think you can beat me with that boxed shit?" Tom said, crossing his arms and smirking. 

"I do." Eric said, bringing his bowl over to Tom. He handed him a fork. "Dig in." 

"Woahhh first, introduce your dish. We are professionals here." Tom said, taking the fork and looking down at Eric's pasta salad. 

"This is a pasta salad, seasoned with pepper and salt. If you ever get tired of just pasta, you can throw in other stuff and make it totally different like I did here. I think you'll like it." Eric introduced his dish like he had seen on cooking shows. Tom clapped. 

"Excellent. Let's see if it tastes as good as it looks." He dug his fork into the dish. Eric did the same. When he tasted it, his eyes widened. 

_I made it better than usual oh wow. I think I have Tom's pizza beat._

"I think you're the one that needs to consider a career shift, this is great!" Tom exclaimed, digging in for another bite. 

"Safe to say I won?" Eric beamed. Tom groaned. 

"I don't know about tha-"

"If I'm the winner, you can finish the rest." 

"Deal!" Tom grabbed the bowl and started to devour it. Eric laughed and looked into the camera. 

"Well you heard it here. Eric Beckerman is the first ever winner of the cook off. Next time, maybe Tom will take the crown. We'll have to see. See ya!" He pressed the button and the camera stopped blinking. 

"That was so fun. I can see why you like filming." Eric said, watching Tom stuff his face. He swallowed and nodded. 

"We should clean this up." 

"I will. You eat the rest of my food." Eric turned to pick up scraps that were flung all over the kitchen. Tom looked content eating and he didn't want to interrupt that.

"Really?! Oh man, this is why I love you Beckerman." Tom resumed his feast. Eric froze. 

_I swear to god Tom just said he loved me. Either that or I'm losing my mind. That is fully plausible._

Eric glanced over to see if Tom said anything more about the major words that left his lips. Nothing. He continued to eat, making satisfied little noises here and there as the amount of pasta salad diminished.

_I should say it back right? No. He isn't even acting like he said anything. Ugh. Why is liking someone so complicated?_

Eric cleaned up the kitchen was shaky hands. He thought about what Tom had said the entire time. Funny how just three words were so impactful.

"Thank you again. For cleaning and for the food. You're welcome to finish my pizza." Tom said, placing the now empty bowl in the sink. 

"Oh no, I don't feel right eating something you made. It's all yours." 

"Hmmm. Better idea. Let's take it upstairs and eat it while we play video games." 

"Video games? It's getting late. I should probably be getting home soon." Eric glanced over at the clock on the wall. The small hand pointed at the nine. 

_I bet Alex is waiting by his phone for me to let him know to pick me up. This is latest I've been out._

"Oh c'monnn. We can fit in one game." Tom said, grabbing the pizza. 

"One quick game." Eric compromised. Tom cheered and ran off to the stairs. "Yes!" 

One quick game turned into multiple, long games. Eric and Tom had lost track of time during their gaming session. The only indication of time passing was the yawns that left their mouths during rounds. 

Eric shoved another piece of pizza in his mouth. His lids were starting to droop and he felt much more sluggish than he did when first arriving at Tom's. Tom was less energetic as well. 

Eric's head slumped onto Tom's shoulder. He fell asleep first. Within minutes, Tom joined him. The boys slept on the couch in front of the monitors, the screens staying on the last level they were on. Eric had no idea that his phone was ablaze with notifications from his brother. All he knew was that the last thing he saw before falling into slumber was Tom tapping the controller and looking adorable. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Both Tom and Eric uploaded videos and I feel so blessed like? My crops? Thriving. Just like this fic aha:') This chapter was so dialogue centric.


	14. Upside Down

"I never want to see you again. I didn't mean it when I said I loved you. You'll always be a loser to me!" Tom shouted in Eric's face. A panicky fluttering arose in Eric's chest. 

"Where is this coming from?" Eric asked frantically. He tried to lay his hand on Tom's shoulder but he shrugged it off immediately, glaring at Eric with the upmost disgust. 

"I've always felt this way. Did you think I _actually_ liked you? You're more stupid than I thought." Tom chuckled callously. 

Salty tears streamed down Eric's face. His bottom lip quivered. Tom looked over and smirked. "Awe, now you're crying like a little baby. How pathetic. I can't wait to tell my friends about this." He held up his phone, taking a video of Eric crying. 

"D-Don't film me!" Eric howled, trying to cover his face from being captured on film. It didn't work. Tom kept his phone pointed at him despite the large amount of tears escaping his eyes. 

"Actually... Even better. Why don't I call them over? Guys! Come see this." 

Labib, Tori, Brandon, and Beau sauntered over and formed a circle around Eric so he couldn't escape. Everywhere he turned, a mocking face laughed at him. 

"Did you tell him you were just pretending to like him after all? Good job Tom! I'm surprised you could last that long." Brandon chortled. 

"It was pretty hard." Tom admitted with a sigh. "But it was so worth it." 

Eric fell to the ground and curled up in a ball. The edge of his vision went white as laughs roared in his ears. 

"Eric?" 

Eric's closed lids shot open. His chest was rising and falling rapidly; his heart beating so fast he thought it was going to give out. Eric rubbed his eyes and glanced over at Tom next to him. Instead of being in school, they were inside Tom's room. Sunlight warmed the massive room. 

Eric wrapped his arms around Tom and snuggled into him. He buried his face in Tom's chest. He could hear Tom's heart beat. It was much slower than his. The steady pace soothed him as he tried to calm down. 

"Are you okay?" Tom asked, looking down at Eric with a concerned gaze. Eric shook his head. 

"N-No. I had a bad dream." He mumbled into Tom's shirt. 

"I can't hear you. What did you say?"

Eric turned his head so his mouth wasn't hidden. "I said I had a bad dream." 

Tom frowned and ran his fingers through Eric's curly hair. "Tell me about it." 

"I c-can't." Eric stammered. Talking about the dream would force him to confront those deep fears. He didn't want to do that. Especially not with the person they were concerned with.

"Why not?" 

"It...uh... involves you..." Eric said, his voice so faint it was barely audible.

"Me?"

"Yeah..." 

"Well, what was I doing?" Tom asked, looking down at Eric. He started to stroke his hair again. 

"Uh..." 

_Rejecting me and saying all of this has been a facade. Laughing at me while I cried. Calling all your friends over to ridicule me. No big deal._

"Nothing good..." 

"You can tell me. It's okay. It was just a dream." 

_What if you validate what dream you said? What if all of this is an elaborate joke?_

"I..." Eric's eyes welled up. "Can't." 

"Try. I'll be here during the whole thing." Tom gazed at Eric tenderly. Eric bit his lip nervously. 

"M-Maybe what you said in the dream is true. I don't want to know that..." 

"I doubt that whatever I said is true if it was mean. Except if I said your fashion sense isn't as good as mine. That's true." Tom joked. Eric cracked a smile. 

"No, it wasn't that. Well... we were in school and you told me that everything up to this point has been a joke between you and your friends to mess with me..." Eric refused to look up at Tom. The silence that followed him revealing the dream was heavy. 

_He's not saying anything. I knew it. This is all a joke. Oh my god all of this is a joke. I feel sick._

"No." Tom broke the thick tension with a single word. "I have meant everything I said. Not when I was acting like a jerk, but all of the nice stuff. Look up at me." 

Eric kept his gaze averted. He stared at one of the pillars that flanked Tom's bed. 

"Eric. Look up at me." Tom repeated, tapping on Eric's cheek softly. Eric scrunched up his nose. 

"Stop, that tickles." 

"I'll stop if you look up at me." Tom continued to tap. Eric groaned and gave in, looking up at Tom. 

"That's better. I know I've been a dick. One hundred percent. But I wouldn't stoop that low. I couldn't do that to you." 

"Even if you couldn't, I think what's scary is that I can _see_ it happening based on how you've acted before..." Eric whispered. Tom's eyes were beginning to be as glassy as Eric's.

"Wow... That feels shitty. I guess I have been pretty awful to you so I deserve it." Tom sighed. 

"It doesn't help that I have trust issues." Eric admitted. He saw the sad gleam in Tom's eyes and started to feel bad about mentioning the dream at all. 

"I'm sorry for bringing it up." 

"No. You have every right to bring it up. I want to reassure you that whatever went down in that dream is far from reality. Though, I don't think I have the place to speak right now..." Tom looked away from Eric, embarrassed with himself. 

"You can reassure me. I would like that." Eric reached up and ran a finger along Tom's chin, trying to get his attention back on him. 

"That dream was awful. Completely terrible. I'm sorry you had to endure something like that, but I want you to know this isn't a joke on you. My friends don't even know that I like you. My feelings for you are genuine. And uh... what I said yesterday was true." 

"Which thing that you said yesterday?" Eric asked. Tom met his gaze and blushed. 

"That I... Uh..."

"Now it's your turn to spit it out," Eric giggled, smiling up at Tom. Tom nervously smiled back. 

"I love you." 

_Oh my god he said it again. I wasn't imagining it. I'll never get sick of Tom saying that to me. I wish I could hear him say it 24/7._

Eric broke out into the widest smile he had in awhile. The butterflies in his chest flapped their wings so erratically Eric was lightheaded. 

_I don't know what's better; Tom saying he loves me or Tom kissing me._

"I love you too." Eric wondrously returned the phrase. Both him and Tom were grinning ear to ear. The soft morning light bathed them in a golden glow. 

Tom leaned down and kissed Eric on the forehead. "As much as I would like to sit here all day, we have a slight problem."

Eric's heart skipped a beat. "What?" Of course something would come and disturb his contentedness. 

"We have school." Tom showed his phone over to Eric. Eric squinted. The time read 9 AM.

_Shit. School. I forgot about that._

Eric bolted upright. "This isn't good." He paced back and forth across the floor. 

Tom chuckled. "Looks like you're going to have to go to school in that." Eric glanced down at his rumpled hoodie and wrinkled jeans. 

"Ugh I look so messy," He whined. Tom reached over and ruffled Eric's hair. "I think you look cute." 

"Noooo you're making it worse." Eric frantically went to fix his hair. "Curse these curls." 

Tom picked up a pile of clothes. "Be right back." He winked and walked out of his room. 

Eric tried to style his hair in the large mirror on the white dresser. His curls still stayed unruly no matter how much he fussed with them. He was still toying around with them when Tom came back into the room. 

Eric turned around and assessed what Tom had changed into. He had on a plain red v-neck, a brown bomber jacket, and a pair of distressed jeans. His hair was styled so well that no trace of the previous night lingered. A cocky smirk flashed on his face as he saw Eric checking him out. 

"My eyes are up here Beckerman. C'mon, I'll drive you to school."

*****

"Our teachers are gonna kill us." Eric remarked as he and Tom were in the car. Tom had rolled the windows down despite it not being that warm. 

"Oh we'll be fine. You've missed school before right?" 

"Yeah, but my mom called in and told them I was going to be staying home for sick purposes. The school is gonna call her and tell her I didn't show up to school and-" 

"Breathe." Tom reminded Eric, taking one of his hands off the steering wheel and placing it on Eric's knee. "You're gonna work yourself up. We'll be okay. You can explain to her the whole situation when you get home later." He pulled into the parking lot and searched for a space. 

Eric took his advice and allowed himself a series of deep breaths. 

_He was right. I feel a bit better. I'll figure out how to deal with her when the time comes._

"Finally a goddamn spot. I thought we were going to be here until the final bell." Tom claimed one of the only free spaces and parked. 

"I'll see you later." Tom said, taking his keys and tossing them into his bag. He opened his door and began walking towards the school. Eric frowned and caught up to him. 

"Oh so we can spend the weekend together but you can't even be seen walking with me? " 

Tom chuckled. "You know how it is. Besides, I don't think we even have the same class right now." 

"I have English. You?"

"History." 

"Hm. Solid point." Eric said. He paused and let Tom go into the building first. After a couple of seconds, he went inside. 

Eric had never had a school day where he came in this late so he was unsure of what to do. He glanced around the building and spied the attendance office. The door was slightly ajar. He knocked. 

"Come in." A nasally voice summoned. Eric opened the door. The small office was filled with small ceramic creatures and lace drapings. It reminded him of how his grandma decorated.

"I'm Eric Beckerman. I was marked absent but I'm actually here." He tapped his foot on the carpeted floor. The lady clicked away loudly at her keyboard. 

"Ernie Belmark? He was marked here today." She adjusted a pair of neon pink reading glasses that sat on the bridge of her nose. 

"No. I said Eric Beckerman." 

"Evan Enderson?" 

"Eric. Beckerman." He stated his full name slowly. 

"Ohhhh Eric. I got ya. Why weren't you here, Eric?" 

"Uh-"

_I slept over at Tom's house._

"-I missed my bus and had to walk." Eric poorly lied. The lady nodded. 

"That's too bad, but at least you're here now. You're free to go to whichever class you have at this time." 

"Ok. Thank you." Eric nodded his head and dipped out of the office. He ran as fast as he could to English. By the time he got there, there was only a few minutes of class left anyways. His entrance made a could of the kids snicker as he rushed over to his seat. 

Mrs.Sweeney cocked her head and stood in front of Eric's desk. "Eric? Where have you been?" 

"I'm sorry Mrs.Sweeney. I woke up late this morning." He switched his excuse to one that was technically the truth. 

"If you were going to sleep in, you should've at least changed your clothes from what you wore to bed." She judgmentally said, eyeing up Eric's messy outfit. "In class today we took a chapter quiz. Come in during lunch to make it up." 

Eric held back a groan. The last thing he felt like doing during his one free period was recalling details from an old book. 

"Alright." 

The rest of the day went pretty normally for Eric. The chapter quiz was fairly easy and no one really bothered him about his appearance minus some fowl looks directed towards him. After school was when his day took a turn for the worst. 

Eric arrived home exhausted. The first day back at school was always draining. He was looking forward to throwing his bag down and listening to some music. As soon as he stepped foot inside, he was greeted by a very angry Alex. 

"There you are! I cannot believe you!" He shouted, his voice echoing. 

"You can't believe what? That I go to school?" Eric tried to joke. It didn't work. Alex remained as pissed, if not more. 

"You never texted me back! I stayed up all night waiting for you to reach out and you didn't! I was so worried about you. Not to mention mom. She's livid."

Eric swore. With his nightmare and being late this morning, the fact that he was supposed to have gotten back to Alex had slipped his mind. He had totally forgotten until Alex was screaming about it in his face. 

"I'm so sorry, I forgot. We fell asleep playing video games." Alex shook his head and rubbed his temple. 

"You were very irresponsible. I don't look forward for when mom comes home." He turned around and stalked off. 

"Wait! Don't go." Eric called. He went upstairs to Alex's door. When he turned the handle, it was locked. 

"Let me in. I'm sorry. I should've paid better attention." Eric banged on the door. Alex didn't reply. The house remained eerily silent. 

Eric knocked again. "Don't be mad at me. I'm sorry." He continued calling out for a couple of minutes before realizing it was pointless. 

_He isn't going to open it. I fucked up._

Eric sighed and went over to his room. He started on his homework, hoping if he stayed on top of his schoolwork that maybe his mom wouldn't be as mad. She arrived home promptly at 5:00 PM like usual. 

She wasted no time in making her presence known. "Eric." She yelled out. "Come down here." 

Eric stared at his door. He knew he had to leave, but he didn't want to get scolded anymore. He already felt shitty that he let his brother down. He didn't want to feel that from his mom too. 

_Damned if I do, damned if I don't._

Eric forced his feet to move down the stairs. In the kitchen, his mom was getting ready to cook dinner. She had a cooking board set out. As Eric came into the room, she turned her head. 

"Would you like to explain to me why I got a call this morning that you weren't in your first period class?" 

Eric gulped. "I... Uh..." His brain was failing him. No excuses came to mind. He couldn't lie to her. Her piercing gaze went straight through him like he was made of transparent glass. 

"I fell asleep on accident." He braced for yelling. There was none.

"At Tom's?" She had looked away and started to chop onions. 

"Y-Yeah..." He watched her. Her knife cuts were sharp and precise. 

"This Tom kid doesn't seem to be a good influence on you." 

"Is that what Alex has been telling you? That Tom is evil and mean?" Eric said, frowning. 

"He told me last night that you weren't getting back to him. He was worried. He mentioned a bit at how this Tom character has been treating you. I don't like it one bit." She stabbed an onion and glared back at Eric. "That's why I am forbidding you to see him." 

Eric froze, his mouth wide open in shock. "What?!" 

_She's out of her mind. I get I fucked up, but there is no need to be this drastic. It's not like I was out on the street selling drugs or something. God forbid I hang out with someone and not isolate myself in my room all the time._

"You heard me." 

"Mom, that's ridiculous. We have a project to work on. You can't just ban me from seeing people." Eric stated, his voice angrily rising. She maintained her neutral expression and turned back to her onions as if she had said something so utterly casual. 

"You will have an hour to see him on school days and that's it. Now, go wash up. Dinner will be ready soon." 

Eric stood there, not sure what to do. He wanted to scream. Scream as loud as he possibly could. Scream so loud that every single soul on Earth could hear. 

_How can I go from on top of the world to being stomped on in a matter of seconds?! Why does this only happen to me?!_

Eric bit his tongue from spitting out an angry remark and went to go wash his hands. He turned the faucet onto the hottest setting and let his hands burn. The pain was nothing compared to the blazing outrage in his chest. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking awhile, I think I'm getting sick. Today I watched F the prom and it was... terrible. I literally watched the entire thing JUST for the Tom and Eric cameos and let me tell yaaaa it was worth it. TERIC IN HIGH SCHOOL??? FBE DON'T COME FOR MY BRAND!!! But in the movie, Tom was a bully so like,,, accurate. Eric was also mean which is?? yeahhhh no. Eric should've for sure been a nerd??? Smh they should've let me write for them. Maybe if they did, their movie wouldn’t be so much of a dumpster fire


	15. Deadline

Dinner was filled with cutlery scraping on plates. Eric didn't attempt to make any conversation. He was too frustrated with his mom to even put on a front. Instead, he focused on getting through his meal as fast as humanly possible. A couple of times, one of his brothers would try to rope him into talking. 

"Remember when you fell in that river and Daniel had to rescue you? All your clothes were soaking wet. You looked a like a drowned dog." Shaun said, shoving a piece of steamed broccoli into his mouth. Eric didn't look up. He chewed through his piece of buttered bread and stared down. Shaun frowned and speared another vegetable. "Maybe you don't remember."

Eric rifled through the food on his plate and pushed out his chair. He washed the plate off and placed it in the drying rack. Without looking back at the table, Eric turned and walked off to the stairs. Scott called after him, but he ignored it. 

Eric locked his door and flopped down on the bed. He eyed his homework that was on top of his shabby desk. 

_I need to get started but I don't want to. I don't want to do anything besides go back to before my mom came up with this stupid idea. I still cannot believe her. How am I going to tell Tom? No. I can't tell Tom. I have to just... avoid him or something. As much as I don't want to do that, maybe this is for the best._

Eric grimly thought about ignoring Tom which was followed by a pang in his heart. Things with Tom were actually going good. He knew this was going to ruin it. 

_At least we have the project. I'll get to see him then. Since we finished, we won't have to waste our short allotment of time on that._

As if Tom was reading his mind, his phone buzzed with a text. 

(8:40 PM, Monday): Hey handsome :) 

Upon instinct, Eric almost replied. He longingly stared at the message and traced over Tom's words on the screen over and over until his fingers memorized the curve of the characters. 

_I have to do this. I know I do. But if I know that, why is it so hard?_

Minutes passed by excruciatingly as the text floated on his screen. Eric held back tears and shut his phone. To distract himself from the urge to send a message back, he ended up going to sleep.

The next morning, Eric made sure he didn't oversleep. He rolled out of bed as soon as his obnoxious alarm blared in his ear. Despite going to sleep rather early, he was still quite exhausted. Although he supposed that was more from emotional strain than not getting enough rest.

Eric threw on a plain black shirt, tight black skinny jeans, and a flannel. He grabbed a beanie to hide his mess of curls that he wasn't in the mood to style.

Eric moved like a ghost throughout the day. He was there physically, but emotionally he was somewhere else completely. Chemistry was coming closer and closer the more hours passed. Dread flooded him as he frequently kept an eye on the various clocks in classrooms. Normally, seeing Tom was one of the highlights of school. Now, the thought of it made him wring his hands together. 

"I hope you all had a good weekend. Sit by your partners for the project please." Mrs.Booth said aloud to the class. Eric bit his lip and glanced to where Tom was sitting. He was shocked to see his radiant smile already directed towards Eric.

Eric grabbed his pile of textbooks and shuffled over to Tom. The rest of the class swapped places and sat next to their partners.

"Did you not get my text last night? You never replied." Tom asked as Eric sat down. Eric held back a sharp gasp that nearly came out. 

_Shit. If I'm honest, he's going to know I'm avoiding him. If I lie, he'll be able to tell. I don't think there is a winning option..._

"I think I uh, forgot to reply. Sorry about that." Eric hid his reddening face in one of his textbooks. Tom raised an eyebrow suspiciously.

"You? Forgetting to reply? That's new." 

"Mr.Beckerman and Mr.Phelan. I'm talking." Mrs.Booth reprimanded. She glared at the two boys, halting what she had been saying.

_Thank you Mrs.Booth. For once I don't mind getting yelled at._

"Sorry Mrs.Booth." Eric apologized. She still kept her icy glare pointed at them before turning to the rest of the class. 

"Anyways, like I was saying. Today is a very important day. Does anyone know what today is?" 

"Tuesday? 

"Meatball sub day?"

"One day closer to Friday?"

Students yelled out their possible guesses. Mrs.Booth shook her head and rolled her eyes. 

"Technically yes, but no. Today marks the end of the project."

Eric dropped the textbook that he had nestled in his arms. It landed with a heavy _Thunk_ on the table top. Half of the class looked back, trying to find the source of the noise. Eric struggled to keep his composure.

_The project... over? I hadn't even thought about. I've been so caught up in Tom and my feelings for him I didn't even think about the fact that it's been a month since we started working together. Fuck._

The edges of Eric's vision began to blur. The tables and posters around the room faded into obscure blobs. His mind was scrambled, everything was going too fast. He needed to slow down. 

_Maybe we can tell her we need more time. There has to be a solution. I don't want to never see Tom again._

"Eric?" Tom called out. Eric snapped out of his panic and took a deep breath before facing Tom. 

"Yeah?" 

"Isn't this amazing? The project is over. We can hang out now and we don't have to do any of that boring school stuff." Tom grinned. Eric forced a laugh. 

"Y-Yeah. It's great." 

_I'm gonna miss you._

"Do you want to come over tomorrow? I got the new Smash Bros game and I think you could use a nice ass kicking." Tom teased, his eyes twinkling.

"I'll have to check with my mom." 

_Lie. I'm such a liar. I know I can't see him. I'm pathetic. I should just tell him what happened with my mom. No. Yes. No. Yes._

"You look pale. Are you okay?" Tom moved closer, inspecting Eric's face. Eric turned his head away. 

_Of course I'm not okay. It's taking all of my energy to not scream, cry, fling myself into your arms, or all of the above._

"No, Sorry I said that wrong. I mean yes. I'm fine. Never been better." Eric said, giving a thumbs up. Tom didn't appear convinced. 

"You sure?" 

"I mean-" 

"Mr.Beckerman! One more time I have to stop talking to address you and you'll find yourself in here for lunch." Mrs.Booth hissed angrily. The class chuckled and smirked back at Eric. 

"Sorry." He mumbled, sinking deeper into his seat. 

"Hand in your projects at the start of class tomorrow. We will be starting our unit after I get them all in. Hopefully now you are very well versed in one element. We will be expanding upon that knowledge in the coming weeks."

Mrs.Booth rambled on for the rest of class about the importance of the periodic table. At least that's what Eric thought he heard. It was hard to focus on her speech while he worried about his fate with Tom. 

The bell ringing was his savior. He packed up his supplies haphazardly. One of his folders didn't make it inside the gap and fell to the ground. Eric bent down to pick it up, but was stopped by Tom. 

"Here." He handed over the bright orange folder. "Hey, I was thinking-" 

"Oh thanks. I really gotta go. I'll see you later." Eric grabbed the folder and hurried out of the room. He saw Tom's confused expression before rounding the corner and disappearing into the crowded hallway. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter isn't as lengthy but that's okay! I wanted to get this out. I didn't plan on writing today because I have the flu but here we are. Despite my sickness, I'm here to give y'all some Teric:) Last night Eric streamed and I watched the stream and it gave me life. At one part, someone requested more Teric fanfic videos and he told chat to write more fanfic and I died. I don't know if I could ever send this to him for a video but !!!!!!! Eric and Tom reading my fic would be peak awesome godddd. Just thinking about it makes me //scream//. If I don't get around to posting the next chapter tomorrow, I hope you have a nice Christmas if you celebrate!


	16. Top Five

Eric's heart raced as he tore out of the room. He ran into Labib who was waiting outside of the door, presumably for Tom. Labib glared at Eric and wiped his shoulder off as of Eric had slammed into him coated in a gross substance. 

"Watch where you're going, weirdo." He leered. Eric didn't bother dignifying his comment with a response. Right now, he had more to worry about than Labib's rude comments. He headed to his last class of the day which happened to be History. 

Eric didn't mind the dull lesson on the War of 1812. Listening to Mr.Horton drone on about the causes of the conflict slowed his thrumming heart down to a manageable rhythm. Copying notes from the board helped steady his shaky hands. 

After History, Eric was free for the day. He sighed in relief and walked to his locker to unload the textbooks weighing down his arms. He placed them in a neat row and closed the locker door firmly. 

As he was walking away towards the front doors, he swore someone tugged on is backpack. His head instinctively turned around to see if anyone was there. Sure enough, his suspicions were correct.

The pimply freshman that had been harassed by Tom and his friends beamed up at him. "Thank god it's you. That would've been embarrassing if it was someone else."

"It's me. Do you need something? Are you getting picked on again?" Eric was clueless. He hadn't the faintest idea why he had approached him. Their last conversation was cut short by tardiness. The only reason he could imagine as to why the kid to reached out was that the bullies were back to making fun of him. To his surprise, the kid shook his head. 

"N-No. I was just wondering if you wanted to hang out or something." He looked away from Eric and blushed. 

_Is he blushing? Because of me? That's strange. I shouldn't assume it's because of me though. That feels weirdly narcissistic._

"Not today. I had a long day. Maybe some other time." 

_Plus he's a couple years younger than me. He should be hanging around people in his own grade instead of me._

The kid's face fell. "Oh... Okay. Why was your day long?"

_You don't even know the half of it._

"You know how school is." Eric deflected, giving a bullshit answer. The kid nodded. 

"I hope it gets better for you." 

"Yeah, me too." Eric agreed. "Have a nice rest of your day." He added before finally walking through the front doors of the school. The kid stuttered out something, but by the time Eric was outside, he couldn't hear.

The walk home was peaceful. There were no conversations he had to try to dodge, or kids that came up to him trying to meet up with him. Just him and nature. Eric listened to bird chirps and rustle of the leaves along the ground. The absence of noise from obnoxious teenagers made him feel at ease. 

At home, Eric came into the house the most relaxed he had been all day. Until he saw his brother sitting at the kitchen counter on his phone. The door closing caused Alex to look up from his phone. 

"If you're going to yell at me some more for the whole Tom thing, go ahead." Eric set his backpack down. He didn't bother advancing any further; feeling as if any sudden movement could set Alex off.

"I think your punishment from mom was harsh enough. I didn't think she was going to go that far." Alex admitted. 

"Did you tell her to not let me see him anymore?" Though he didn't really want to rehash the thing bothering him so deeply, Eric saw the chance to get some information. 

"No. I may have mentioned not liking Tom that much and may have let some little details slip, but I didn't suggest to forbid you from seeing him. That's quite extreme." 

"Then where the hell did she get that idea from?" Eric asked, slumping down in a stool next to Alex at the counter. His irritation he fought tooth and nail to keep under wraps bubbled to the surface.

Alex shrugged. "I'm not sure. She thinks she's doing the right thing." 

"Right thing?! How is restricting who I can see a right thing?!" The disbelief in his voice became more and more apparent with everything he said. 

"I didn't say it _was_ the right thing. I said she _thinks_ this is the right thing." Alex clarified. Still, Eric remained unconvinced. 

"How?" 

"Well," Alex started. "To her knowledge, Tom is a shitty kid that hurts her son's feelings and makes him miss class and not come home at night. By getting him out of your life, she thinks it will put you back on track and will protect you emotionally." 

As pissed as Eric was, he could see how this would make sense in his mom's mind. "She doesn't know the full story! Tom isn't bad. Sure, he has messed up, but he's also really sweet." 

"I don't know about that, but I have seen how much more miserable you are without Tom, even from just one day of this." Alex pointed out. "So the kid must have some positive influence on you." 

"Yeah. He does. I haven't told him about the ban yet. I can't bring myself to do it." 

"That's understandable. You can't mention that casually." 

"Exactly." Eric groaned. "Thanks for listening. I'm going to go get started on my homework and try to distract myself." 

"Good plan. Good luck with that," Alex went back to looking at his phone. Eric grabbed his backpack and tugged it upstairs. 

Homework was going well so far. Eric understood most of the math -for once- and answered all of the guided reading questions. He was on a roll, like if he stopped the thoughts he was trying to avoid would catch up with him and ensnare him.

_I guess trying to distract yourself is a good way to stop putting something off. Huh. I never knew that._

A _buzz_ from his backpack ripped him out of his state of concentration. He was so focused that he almost jumped off the bed when he heard the sound.

(4:16 PM, Tuesday): You have an answer yet on if we can hang out tomorrow? 

Eric inhaled sharply. His fingers flew over the keyboard, not sure where to land. 

_I have to tell him no. I have to. I really don't want to. I can see the sad look on his face already and I haven't even said anything yet. This is gonna hurt._

Eric went through several drafts before settling on final one. 

(Draft one): _Hey Tom. I'm sorry but I actually can't. Sorry._

Delete.

(Draft two): _I'm busy tomorrow. Just so much homework, y'know?_

Delete.

(Draft three): _I would like to see you but I'm sick. Oops!_

Delete.

(Draft four): _My brother said he would take me to the movies so I can't, sorry._

Delete.

(Draft five): _I love you more than anything and I'm so sorry that my mom decided to ban me from ever seeing you again outside the project. Thanks to that, I'm sure we'll stop talking and go back to how we were before. You, the popular kid everyone loves. Me, the loser. It will be like we never even got assigned to work together in the first place. Forgive me._

Most definitely delete. 

(Draft six): _I'm sorry but I can't. We have a family birthday to celebrate tomorrow._

Sent.

Eric waited around miserably for a message back. Tom got back to him in a couple minutes.

(4:35 PM, Tuesday): Bummer:( Well, wish whoever it is a happy birthday from me

Eric stared at the message sadly. 

_He's being so nice about it too. As if I didn't feel shitty enough about this._

Eric tossed his phone aside and attempted to get back to his homework. Though, on his mind was the mental imagery of Tom singing happy birthday. 

*****

Ignoring Tom was harder than Eric anticipated. It was even harder when Tom tried to talk to him and Eric had to fumble around for an excuse and exit the situation swiftly. Over the course of the week that had passed since he started evading Tom, that look of disappointment flickering in his eyes never got easier to see.

He had a string of texts from Tom that had piled up in his inbox. He tried to not check his phone. 

_You got this. Stay strong and don't look._

Repeating a mantra only could do so much. Eric resorted to peeking. 

(2:02 PM, Thursday): You gotta come play this game with me. It's so fun

(6:29 PM, Thursday): By the time we hang out, I'm going to be so good ;)

(4:32 PM, Friday): I wish we still still sat together in class. It's boring without you 

(8:09 PM, Friday): Are you coming over this weekend? I know Wednesday didn’t work for you

(4:39 PM, Saturday): I guess not

(6:47 PM, Sunday): I hope you're doing okay. We haven't spoken in days

(3:12 PM, Monday): What do you think about the new unit in Chemistry? 

(6:20 PM, Tuesday): Are you ignoring me on purpose? Did I do something wrong?

Eric teared up as he read the last message over again. 

_He thinks this is his fault... No. It's mine, Tom. This whole stupid situation is all on me._

At least at home, Eric could shove his phone away from sight. At school, he couldn't fully get away from seeing Tom. Eric would be minding his own business in the cafeteria or in the hallways when out of the corner of his eye he would see Tom's signature fluffy hair. 

He thought it wouldn't bother him as the week progressed; that somehow his brain would erase Tom's memory and make his feelings for the boy no more. Instead, the effect was the opposite. The less time he spent with him, the more he wanted him. Just seeing a small glance of Tom was enough to make Eric's heart flutter uncontrollably.

His brain was plagued with every little detail, no matter how small, about all the things Eric missed about Tom. There were so many different pieces that he had devised his list of personal favorites.

_Top five things I miss the most about Tom. Number Five: His eyes. I miss how his eyes crinkle whenever he laughs and smiles. He always looks so happy and carefree. I feel lighter just by being around him in those moments. I could stare into his eyes all day and never get tired. No matter how much I stare at them, I don't think I'll ever truly get to the bottom of their chocolately depths._

_Number Four: When he runs his fingers through his hair. I don't know why, but I think it's so cute when he does it. It makes me want to run my fingers through his hair and feel how soft it is._

_Number Three: Seeing how sweet he can be, despite trying to be tough and cool. It feels like a secret hidden that only I get to know. I like learning all the different layers he has to him._

_Number Two: His laugh. He laughs a lot and every time he does, I find myself laughing along with him. His laugh is adorable and contagious. Especially when he laughs so hard that he falls onto the ground or topples over._

_Number One: Hmmmm. This is difficult. I don't know if I can choose just one... I think though that the thing I miss most is being with Tom. Just being in his presence. That sounds stupid, but being around him always makes me feel really happy and at peace. It's a feeling I've never really experienced before I hung out with him..._

Eric stared off into the distance as he let all of Tom's attributes consume his every thought. It was Wednesday. The week was half way over with and Eric was glad. Not interacting with Tom made the days go by much slower.

Lunch for today was mozzarella sticks. Eric dipped them in the puddle of sauce on his tray and took a bite. He could tell they were frozen and made of some unspeakable substance, but he was too hungry to care.

While Eric chewed on the rest of the mozzarella stick, he felt a rough tap on his shoulder. He turned around. Tom had a cross expression on his face and stood with his arms folded tightly over his chest. 

"We need to talk." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like that cliffhanger? Haha I know how torturous that is to do so I'm sure you hate it. But I'm glad I got to update before Christmas once more. Merry Christmas to all my readers:) All of you have really helped me stay motivated and on top of my game so thank you for every kudo and comment. I notice/read them all! I have a lil present for y'all teric shippers so stay vigilant on my works;) I hope you all have a great Christmas day tomorrow!


	17. Alley

Eric did not expect Tom to approach him. He thought his evading was going smoothly, except for the feelings that wouldn't fade. It was safe to say that Eric's heart nearly jumped out of his chest when he turned around and saw a pissed off Tom glaring at him. 

"Right now? Its, uh, lunch." For emphasis, Eric took a bite of a mozzarella stick. Tom remained unamused.

"I know it's lunch. We share the same lunch period today."

"What do we need to talk about? It can't be the project, that's over."

"You're right, and we got a good grade on it. Let's go. I would prefer the whole lunch room not to hear this." Tom said, starting to walk to the door. "And no excuses."

Eric realized this was one situation he couldn't get out of. Tom refused to leave until he joined him, keeping his narrowed gaze pointed in Eric's direction. Eric ate one last mozzarella stick and tossed the flimsy tray into the garbage can. He followed Tom out of the room, catching a couple of gossiping whispers before making it into the hallway.

"Is Tom walking with that loser Eric? I heard Stacy say that they might be together."

"Tom looks pretty upset."

"Who's that guy by Tom?"

The doors closed loudly behind Eric, making him flinch. They seemed to have no effect on Tom, who kept walking at a steady pace. Once they were far enough from the lunch room, Tom turned around suddenly. 

"So what's been up with you?" He wasted no time in floundering around. Eric was taken aback, as if had been placed in an icy bath of water without warning. 

"Nothing. I've just been... busy." 

"That's the best you can come up? Busy? Doing what? Sitting in your room alone?" 

_He's not wrong. That's pretty much all I do._

"Uh, mostly with schoolwork." Eric lied. While he did have schoolwork, it wasn't anything compared to how he attempted to portray it. "I stay up all night doing it."

Tom rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I don't buy that for a second. Don't lie to me, Beckerman. You're a terrible liar." 

_Once again, not wrong._

"It doesn't matter." Eric deflected, looking down. "How have you been?" 

"Don't change the subject! You can't weasel your way out of every hard conversation! Tell me what has been going on with you!" Tom yelled, his voice carrying down the empty hallway. Eric shrunk back.

"Going on with me? I think I've been pretty normal lately."

_Why am I even trying to cover my ass? Tom isn't stupid... Maybe he'll give up if I keep acting naive..._

"You haven't responded to any of my texts for a week now, you make an excuse whenever I come up to you to talk, and you don't do our little secret signs of affection anymore." Tom recited, exhaling heavily through his nose. "Or do you not remember that too?"

"...No. I know what you're talking about..." Eric admitted under his breath, just loud enough for Tom to pick up on. 

"So why? What happened?" 

"It's not you." Eric stated, finally being brave enough to keep eye contact with Tom for more than a fraction of a second. Tom frowned.

"Oh here we go. The bullshit 'it's not you, it's me' spiel. Save it! I'll go away and never talk to you again so you don't have to fumble around with that cliche garbage." 

"No!" Eric exclaimed, panic rising in his voice. The situation that caused this was bad, but Tom never speaking to him ever because of a misunderstanding was worse. "Let me expla-"

"SO YOU CAN BREAK MY HEART AND I HAVE TO LISTEN? SO YOU CAN TELL ME YOU DON'T LIKE ME ANYMORE AND YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT ME?! I DON'T WANT TO HEAR THAT. THEN IT GETS AROUND SCHOOL AND I'M FUCKED. I DON'T KNOW WHAT I'LL BE MADE FUN OF FOR FIRST. DATING THE BIGGEST LOSER, OR BEING DUMPED BY THE BIGGEST LOSER." Tom shouted. He yelled with such a ferocity that Eric could hear every breath he took.

_Did he say dating? Are we actually dating? I know I shouldn't be thinking about that in this moment, but wow... I should bring that up later if this gets resolved._

"Tom, that's not what I was going to do. I don't want to dump you! Please listen to me!" Eric frantically called out. Tom's face hardened into a mask of anger. 

"NO! I DON'T WANT TO LISTEN. DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH IT HURT TO TEXT YOU ALL THOSE TIMES AND NOT GET A SINGLE RESPONSE? HOW MUCH IT HURT THAT YOU WOULD BARELY LOOK IN MY DIRECTION ANYMORE? HOW MUCH IT HURT WHEN I WOULD TRY TO TALK TO YOU AND YOU WOULD RUN AWAY AFTER MAKING SOME POOR EXCUSE? DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA?! ANY IDEA OF HOW SHITTY THAT MADE ME FEEL?!" 

_Oh my god I'm an idiot. The stupidest idiot on all of this planet. I didn't think about Tom's feelings in this. I did what I thought would spare him from pain, but I actually ended up making him more hurt. Jesus Christ._

"Tom, I'm so fucking sorry. I didn't know. I wasn't thinking. I let this get out of hand when I should've just been honest with you." Eric tried to look into Tom's eyes, but it was now him that refused. Tears ran down Tom's face. It reminded him of when Tom was talking about his sexuality. Except this time, it was Eric that had brought a broken look about him.

"YEAH, YOU SHOULD'VE!" Tom wiped his eyes and sniffled. Eric resisted the urge to wipe his tears for him. He hated witnessing Tom in such a hurt state. Seeing Tom smiling was the best feeling, but seeing Tom at the other end of that was the worst. 

"Can I be honest with you now?"

"I'm not sure if you deserve a chance to come clean. You had all week!" Tom yelled, a fresh batch of tears flooding his face.

"I know... I thought what I was doing was right. I can see now that it wasn't. You don't have to forgive me, but I want to at least tell you..." Eric desperately said. "Please let me."

"Only because I don't want to keep agonizing over it." Tom glowered, his hands balled up into fists. "Go ahead."

"Remember when we fell asleep accidentally at your house?"

"Yeah. Back when you liked me and didn't try to flee at the sight of me." Tom bitterly remarked.

"I do still like you. Anyways, it turned out that my mom found out and also found out that I was late to school. She told me I wasn't allowed to see you again except for the project and then that ended so I just thought avoiding you would be somehow be better than telling you about that and hurting you that way..." 

Tom had fallen quiet. Eric looked up after he trailed off and saw the look on his face. He was deep in thought, processing what he had heard. Eric wasn't sure what to say. 

_Does he hate me? Does he understand? Please say something._

"She forbid you from seeing that? Damn. I didn't think I was that much of a bad influence." Tom's anger had diminished. Instead, he was surprised. Eric sadly smiled. 

"I think she's scared that I'm gonna turn into my brothers and start breaking all the rules now."

"You? A troublemaker? I don't see that." 

"Yeah neither do I." 

"But," Tom said. "We can work around this."

Eric's eyes widened. "We can?"

"Yep." Tom's confident smile returned to his face. "Come outside of your house tonight."

"I can't. Did you hear what I said?"

"I did." Tom smirked. 

_Is Tom messing around with me? If he heard me, he knows I can't... Ohhhh. Wait a second. Is he asking me to-_

"Sneak out. Make sure she doesn't see you." Tom must have seen the confused look that flickered over Eric's face. Eric's eyes widened. Sneaking out always intimidated him.

"I don't know... I would probably get caught."

"No you won't. You're smart." Tom said, winking. 

"Tom?" Beau's deep voice traveled down the hallway. Eric froze. He looked to Tom, not sure if he should move or stay.

"See you tonight." Tom kissed Eric quickly on the lips before walking away and leaving Eric in a daze of blushing and uncertainty. He tried to unpack everything that had just gone down, but his brain started to hurt. He unfroze his feet and walked back to the lunch room.

*****

_I can't believe I'm going to do this._

Everyone had fallen asleep in the Beckerman household. Eric was the last remaining one awake. He checked, more than once. Once he registered all the snores and faint sounds of sleep, he began to prepare to leave. 

_This is either going to be the most amazing night or a complete failure. I'm scared to know the answer._

Eric tiptoed down the creaky stairs, being as light on his feet as possible. The house was cloaked in darkness. He navigated carefully around various kitchen appliances to the garage door. He was thankful that his mom had forgotten to close it. He slipped outside and saw a pair of gleaming lights in the driveway along with the purr of an engine. Eric couldn't see the color of the car, but he could picture the flashy neon glaring back at him. 

"Glad you could make it." Tom grinned as Eric nervously sat down in the passenger seat. He revved the engine and pulled out of the driveway. The first time Eric had driven with Tom was terrifying. At night, it was an even more wild mixture of fear and exhilaration. 

"Me too. You never said where we were going to go. Your house?" Eric asked. Tom shook his head.

"Nope." 

_No? It's pretty late. Where is he going to take me?_

Eric kept his trepidation under wraps. He didn't want Tom to think he was a loser. Well, anymore of a loser he already viewed him as. He shifted in his seat.

"Do you drive around at night a lot?"

"Not as much as I would like to." Tom smiled, pressing his foot down harder on the petal. Despite the windows being rolled up, Eric could hear the squeal of tires. 

The scenery shifted from outlines of suburban houses to buildings so tall Eric couldn't even see the tops. The night was pierced with lights from windows and pulsing music. Eric watched wondrously. He had lived in LA for awhile, but he had never really seen the city at night. His mom never let him go the few times he brought it up.

Tom parked the car along the street. The engine ceased its loud rumbling. Tom stepped out of the car without any additional remarks. Eric got out of the car and looked to Tom. He stepped onto the sidewalk and walked down towards the buzz of music. Eric lagged behind him, not sure where they were headed. 

"There are a lot of people even though it's during the work week." Eric said, glancing at a girl breezing by them. She had earbuds in and her long gray hair flowed behind her. Tom nodded. "It's always busy." 

The closer they walked to the heart of the city, the greater the concentration of noise was. The streetlamps that Eric and Tom walked under covered them in pale light. Eric liked it. It reminded him of the cinematography of one of his favorite 80's movies. He thought Tom looked exceptionally pretty.

Eric was so intrigued in all of the different parts of the city that he didn't notice that Tom had paused in front of a street art display. Eric walked next to him and took a look for himself. He wasn't sure what he was looking at. There were a splash of colors; vivid teal, dazzling yellow, and rich maroon. The colors wrapped around each other in a twisty pattern.

Upon seeing how in awe Tom was, Eric had an idea. 

"Give me your phone."

"Why?"

"Just do it. You'll see." 

Tom handed his unlocked phone over to Eric. Eric slid over to the camera.

"Go in front of it." 

Tom raised an eyebrow but Eric assured him. "Go on." 

Tom walked over and stood in front of the mural. He shifted around, not sure where to place his body. Eric held the phone up and snapped a picture.

"Okay now do a silly one."

Tom stuck his tongue out and screwed up his face. Eric took another photo. 

"Now sexy! Yes yes yes work it!" Eric shouted as Tom posed like a contestant on _America's Next Top Model._

"Perfect. You're the most handsome model ever!"

"Damn right I am!" Tom yelled, striking a series of seductive poses as Eric caught them all on film. 

"If you're really a model, maybe you should pose naked." Eric joked. Tom laughed so hard that his teeth were visible. Eric took a picture as Tom was laughing. After their photo shoot of a couple more different adjectives, Eric skimmed through the final results to see how they came out.

He stopped scrolling once he saw the picture of Tom laughing. Eric smiled to himself. It was his favorite one of the bunch. Tom in his natural state. No time to pose himself in an artificial and deliberate way. Just his genuine reaction. 

"How do they look?" Tom walked over to Eric and glanced at the screen. Eric swiped to one of the funny pictures, not mentioning the special one he smiled at. 

"Oh man, these are hilarious. That was fun." Tom took his phone back and slid it into his pocket. 

"I never asked you, but what is it?" Eric said, his eyes drifting over to the abstract art. Tom followed his gaze.

"That? No one knows. That's the beauty of it."

"Wow. Tom Phelan is dating the biggest loser _and_ likes art? I never suspected that." Eric worded the statement deliberately to see if Tom would say anything. He just laughed. 

"It is weird I guess. Another thing no one knows about me."

Eric bit his lip. 

_He didn't protest when I said we were dating. Either he agrees, or he is so interested in the art he didn't really hear that part._

"Tom? Are we...?" Eric started off the question strong, but his voice inevitably faded into silence. Tom reached over and grabbed Eric's hand. Eric stared down, shocked. 

_He's holding my hand in public! Not while we're both inside his house or somewhere secluded, but outside. Anyone can see us. Someone from school could come from around the corner and could see us. Though I don't know if anyone from school is here, still._

"Does that answer your question?" 

Eric nodded, a widespread grin taking over his face. Tom tugged his hand and pulled Eric down the street. They giggled and walked through the city until both of their feet were sore. Not that Eric cared. He was roaming the beautifully illuminated city at night holding hands with the guy he loved. Nothing could've taken away from the sense of freedom swelling in his chest.

"Look at that." Tom said, pointing over to a small building with loud music pouring from within its stone walls. "We should go inside."

"What is it?" Eric moved forward to get a better look. There wasn't a sign declaring the name of the establishment. 

"It's a night club." Tom explained. "I've been there with my friends before. Usually on weekends." 

"It is a school night. Are you sure this is the best idea?" Eric warily asked. 

"No. But bad ideas are sometimes the most fun." Tom grinned, pulling Eric into the club. There were no bouncers outside, making it easy for the two boys to slip in.

The music was even louder as Eric and Tom wove around the throng of bodies gathered in the club. The glow of the purple and pink made it hard for Eric to detect the ages of the people around him. He guessed most of them at least hit the legal drinking age.

"To the dance floor we go." Tom yelled over the loud pop song that was currently playing. Eric shook his head. "Oh no, I don't dance..." 

"Well you're going to tonight." Tom dragged him to the crowded dance floor. "Don't worry about how you look, just feel the music." Tom bounced up and down, rolling his body to the song. Eric stayed pretty still, only letting his head bop to the beat. 

"More than that!" Tom exclaimed, poking at Eric. "Let me see you move."

Eric made more of an effort despite how self conscious he felt. He shuffled around the floor and lifted his arms in the air. 

"I think you can do better. Watch me." Tom did a series of dance moves. Eric watched in amazement.

_He looks good doing that. If I attempt that, I'll look ridiculous._

"Now copy what I did." He challenged. Eric shifted his weight to his other leg. "I can't do that." 

"Sure you can! Get out of that big beautiful mind of yours and try." 

Eric smiled at the compliment and decided to give it a go. He mimicked Tom's moves. Not as well as his for sure, but passable. Tom laughed and clapped. 

"See, now make up your own." 

He and Eric began dancing. Eric put any thoughts of what he looked like far out of reach. It didn't matter if he looked stupid. He was having fun. Both of them were grinning and dancing around each other. Eric had forgotten that there were other people around them. All that he saw was Tom under the pretty neon pink light. 

"Want anything to drink?" Tom asked as the song bled into a new upbeat song. Eric shook his head. "It's not good to drink in unfamiliar settings." 

"You're so mature Beckerman. I don't buy you're my age." Tom glanced around the club. "I think I'll have a drink."

Eric shot a knowing look at Tom and he groaned. "Just one, don't worry." He rushed off the dance floor over to the bar.

_I'll let him enjoy his drink in peace._

While waiting for Tom to get back from the bar, Eric found a chair near a group of various tables and couches. He left the dance floor and took a seat and surveyed the rest of the club. Eric liked to people watch and this seemed like a good setting for such activities.

The first person that caught his eye was a girl with bright pink hair. She was talking to a guy with short spiky hair.

_She looks like she belongs here. He looks out of place. Maybe they're a couple and she dragged him here._

He watched them converse for a few moments before switching to watching someone else. This time, it was a pair of boys holding hands. Eric blushed, immediately thinking about him and Tom. Both of the boys were at ease, smiling and laughing to each other.

_I wonder if it's their first time out in public holding hands too. Probably not. They look like they've done this hundreds of times before. Like it's their routine. I hope they stay together forever._

"Come dance with me, cutie." 

Eric looked up to see a skinny guy with shaggy brown hair in front of him. He had on a pair of purple skinny jeans and a button down shirt with half of the buttons undone. 

_Who is this guy? I didn't see him when I looked all around the club..._

"I'm not a dancer." Eric said, looking up at the mysterious stranger. He laughed, placing a hand on Eric's shoulder.

"That's okay. Most of the people here aren't either." He smirked. "It's all about how you move." To demonstrate, he wiggled his body. Eric laughed at how awkward it looked.

"I see, I see. Still, I don't think it's my thing."

"Excuse you." 

The guy turned around. Eric moved his head to the side. Tom was standing with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face, much like the one from earlier. 

"Would you mind staying away from him? Thanks." 

The guy flipped his hair and snorted. "You think I'm going to listen to you, you little snapback wearing bitch?" He flicked the brim of Tom's hat. Tom growled, facing the guy head on.

"You think I'm going to take insults from someone that looks like they belong in a decade ago? Nice try. Maybe you should change your pants and cut your hair before you try and hit on him." Tom motioned to Eric who's cheeks were completely flushed pink.

_Is it bad that I think it's really attractive that he's possessive over me? Because I'm liking this._

The guy laughed and traced his finger along Eric's chin. "I think pretty boy would rather be with me than you." 

Tom narrowed his eyes and slapped the guy's hands away. Eric heard the sting of the slap over the music. "Get your hands off of him, creep."

"I can put my hands where I want." The guy went to touch Eric again, but was stopped by Tom who pushed him. Tom grabbed Eric's hand.

"C'mon, we're getting out of here." He didn't wait for a reply before leading Eric out of the club. Eric glanced back and saw the guy looking at him as he left. 

"I have no idea who that was." Eric explained. Tom didn't say anything. He pulled Eric into a dimly lit alley.

"Where are we go-" Eric was cut off by Tom pushing him up against the brick wall and kissing him hungrily on the mouth.

Eric blushed wildly. He missed the plumpness of Tom's lips and how wanted he felt whenever he and Tom kissed. Tom was good at making him feel as if he was the most desirable person on Earth. 

While most of their kisses were sweet, this one was slightly rough and filled with passion. Neither of them cared who walked passed. It was just their bodies pressed up on each other and shared intimacy. Though they were in a weird alley, Eric didn't mind.

Eric pulled his lips away from the intense kiss. "What was that for?" He asked, panting.

"I couldn't stand to see that guy all over you. When he touched you, it drove me crazy. Only I should have my hands on you." Tom said, going in to kiss Eric again. Instead of his lips, this time he went lower and kissed Eric on his neck.

Eric let out a small moan. He tilted his head back and let it rest on the wall. He had never had a hickey before. After Tom, he suspected that would change. 

"T-Tom-" Eric breathlessly whispered Tom's name. Tom stopped sucking his neck and looked over to Eric with a smirk. 

"What did you say?" 

N-Nothing..." Eric whimpered, embarrassed. Tom chuckled. 

"We'll see about that." Tom went back to kissing Eric. He kissed his mouth and then let his lips trail back down to his neck. Eric bit his lip to tried and keep anymore words from slipping out. He held it together for a couple of seconds. When Tom shifted his arms from pinning Eric to caressing his thighs and pulling him closer, he lost it.

"Mhmm T-Tom-" Eric's hands searched desperately for something to hold onto. He wrapped his arms around Tom's neck and buried his face as far as he could. 

"Don't hide from me. I like seeing that look on your face." Tom cupped Eric's warm face in his hands and went back to kissing his lips. Eric moaned into his mouth. Even though him and Tom were practically intertwined, Eric couldn't get enough. Everything in his body was crying out for Tom to kiss him more. Touch him more. Run his hands all over his body and never stop.

He was disappointed when Tom stopped kissing him. Eric laid back on the wall. His head was scrambled and his lips were coated in saliva. His entire body was made of jelly. One move and he would crumple to the ground. 

"We should get you back home." Tom winked. He gave Eric one last kiss and walked out of the alley. Eric closed his eyes and tried to catch his breath, listening to the car horns in the distance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Long time no see. I hope you all had a good Christmas! Besides that, here is chapter 17 woo. The length is why it took so long to get it up I apologize (and the oneshot but I will mention that in a little). So yes! I originally planned for Eric and Tom to go to Tom's house, but I thought this would be more exciting:) Also the ending scene, that was totally not planned. Possessive Tom?? Sign me up. Sometimes the best things are impulse (like what Tom said). So yeah! Hope you liked this chapter. We are very close to the ending folks. This will be my first fic I officially finish and I'm excited. About the oneshot now! So as a Christmas gift, I wrote a seasonal Teric oneshot for y'all. Go check it out! It's also why this took me so long. It was really adorable and fun to write


	18. Sun & Moon

Eric continued sneaking out every day of the coming week. He and Tom would travel all over town. Each night they would go somewhere else, unknown to Eric until they arrived. The common denominator in all of their excursions was that they all had an adventurous edge. So far, Eric had been to an amusement park, an abandoned building, a concert filled with sketchy people, and a street racing competition. The more he explored danger, he wasn't as scared as he used to be. His mom hadn't noticed his minor disappearances. He was always back before the night came to a close. 

Spending so much time with Tom was nice after their separation. Eric thought that Tom would get sick of him or not want to hang out with him anymore, but he couldn't have been more wrong. Tom seemed to be relishing in their time together just as much as Eric did. Eric noted the cute little smile that tugged at his lips whenever he asked where they would be going next.

Tonight, Tom had told Eric he had prepared something special. Eric had no idea what that would entail.

(8:23 PM, Tuesday): Be there in twenty. I hope you're feeling inspired :)

_Inspired? Hm. I don't feel particularly inspired right now._

Eric wondered what Tom had in store for him as got dressed in a band tee, ripped jeans, and Converse. He straightened his nose piercing and slipped on his maroon beanie. He turned his light off and walked downstairs.

"Hello Eric. What are you doing down here at night?" Alex called out, emerging from the dim kitchen. Eric tensed up. 

"Going out. Why are you down here at night?" He shot back. 

"Waiting for my food to heat up." Alex motioned to the microwave. Sure enough, a bowl of pasta was spinning around inside. "So what about you?"

"Uh. I, Uh-"

_Think Eric think. Something that makes sense..._

"I wanted water." Eric reached into the refrigerator and grabbed a bottle from the shelf. He cracked open the lid and took a sip. "Refreshing." 

Alex rolled his eyes and checked on his pasta. He added another thirty seconds to the timer. "I've heard you leaving the house all week." 

Eric turned his head away and suppressed a gasp. 

_I should've been more careful._

"Y-Yeah? Maybe it wasn't me and it was someone else." He crossed his arms defensively.

"I checked your room. You weren't there." Alex peered inside the microwave and took his pasta out. "I'm not going to snitch on you. You should know that by now."

Eric lifted his freshly painted nails to his mouth bit on his cuticles. "Promise?"

"Of course. I snuck out plenty when I got in trouble. So where have you been going? House parties?"

"No. Me and Tom have been hanging out." Eric was glad Alex couldn't see the widespread blush all over his face. Alex set his pasta down and let it cool.

"Tom, huh? What have you guys been doing?"

"Going all over town. Last time we went to a street race." Eric smiled upon recalling the memory. Tom competed against one of the biggest street racers in LA. Eric got to ride in the passenger seat as they tore down the ghostly road.

"You at a street race? Damn. You're cooler than I thought little bro. Well, where are you going tonight?"

Eric shrugged. "No idea. He hasn't let me know." 

"Hmmm well whatever it is, I hope you have fun." Alex winked. He grabbed the bowl and headed upstairs. Eric smiled and walked out through the garage.

_So Alex will keep this between us. Good. One less thing to worry about._

Eric didn't see any shiny headlights in his driveway yet. He stood on the porch and gazed into the night, which was inkier than usual. A few lone stars dotted the sky. He got lost in their beauty by the time Tom showed up. His loud car horn snapped Eric out of his daze.

"You look nice." Tom said as Eric joined him in his car. Eric smiled and looked over at Tom's jacket and jeans. 

"I could say the same about you." Eric giggled. 

"Then say it." Tom teased, putting the car into drive. It smoothly glided down the driveway and out onto the road. 

"You look nice. No, better than nice. Exceptional." 

"That's what I like to hear." Tom grinned with a signature wink. "I hope you're feeling inspired."

"After seeing you, I think I am." Eric admitted, his eyes not straying from Tom. He never failed to look anything less than stunning. Eric so badly wanted to brush his fingers against Tom's cheek and kiss him all over his face. The only reason he didn't was because Tom was busy driving. 

"Will you tell me where we're going now?"

"No. You know how this works."

"Hmph. One day you'll crack." Eric pouted, crossing his arms dramatically. 

"Keep believing that." Tom smirked. Eric gave up trying to unearth the destination and turned to glance outside. Beyond the windows were amorphous forms he could only assume were buildings. The absence of light made it hard to distinguish anything specific. 

"We're here." Tom grinned, parking the car. Eric had spaced out a bit. He shook his head and examined the window closer. He was no more able to discern what was outside than earlier. 

Tom wasted no time. He left the car and grabbed something from the back. Eric yawned and followed him. Surrounding them were a couple large trees and some buildings; almost like a smaller scale version of the city Eric was in with Tom that first night. 

"Another city? I see a theme." Eric pointed out. "Whatcha got there?" In Tom's hands were two bags. 

"You'll see in a minute." Tom stalked off towards the buildings, keeping the bags out of Eric's line of sight.

"So secretive." Eric laughed, walking behind Tom. The city was quiet; the only noise coming from the faint _whoosh_ of passing cars and the sounds of footsteps on the pavement. Tom led him over to the side of a building.

"Ta da." Tom motioned to the wall, a grin on his face. Eric tilted his head, glancing all over the wall. Nothing was special about it. It was a slate gray hue with a few blemishes here and there. Eric could not possibly understand why Tom had taken him this far to see the side of a building. 

"Are you sure this is it?" Eric asked, wanting to make sure. They had gone from street racing to staring at walls. 

_Is Tom okay? This doesn't seem like his idea of fun._

"Yeah. It's a perfect canvas." Tom set the bags down and dug through their contents.

"Canvas?"

Tom placed a cold tube into Eric's palm. "Yes." 

Eric glanced down and read the label.

_Acrylic paint. I haven't used this stuff in ages. The last time was when I used to paint a lot._

"You want us to paint the wall together?" Eric asked, curiously running his fingers over the tube. He prodded it with a finger. Tom smiled.

"I want us to create our own art piece. Like the one we saw the first time in the city. Something only we understand." 

Eric couldn't believe the words coming out Tom's mouth. They sounded like something out of a romance novel rather than from the guy that used to bully him in the hallways. A giggle flew out of his mouth.

"That's funny to you?" Tom asked, frowning. 

"Oh, no. Sorry about that. I just had no idea you were a romantic." Eric popped open the tube of his paint, called _Mellow Yellow._ Tom groaned, opening his tube.

"Don't push it or I'll pour this all over you and you know it won't come out." Tom ripped open a package of brushes and set them in the space between him and Eric. "I have every color you could possibly need." He dumped the bags out. The entire rainbow in the form of compressed paint tubes fell onto the ground.

Tom made the first mark on the bland wall. The color was a blue so pale it was nearly white. Eric tapped the end of his brush to his chin.

_I need something really good. Something that will impress Tom. Something amazing..._

Eric glanced over at Tom and it hit him. He smiled and dipped the bristles of his brush in a peach. He began to paint his vision, one brush stroke at a time.

While they painted, they kept their conversation to a minimum. Both of them were focused on creating their portion of the wall. Tom tried to sneak a look. Eric shook his head and flung paint in his direction.

"Keep your eyes over there on yours. You can't look until it's done." Eric stuck his tongue out and used his body to shield his painting from Tom. Tom sighed loudly.

"Fiiiine. Be like that." 

Eric's hand cramped by the time he was putting the finishing touches on his creation. He did one last swipe of brown and lowered his hand. 

"I'm done too. Let's show each other. I'll go first." Tom volunteered. He stood up and cracked his knuckles.

"This is my piece titled... I don't have a title. But as you can see, it's the moon and sun together." 

Half of the circle Tom had painted was a moon and the other half was sun. The moon looked almost as pale and haunting as the one that hung low in the sky at the current moment. The sun looked so golden, Eric half expected it to be radiating heat the closer he came to it. Though it was fairly simple, Eric thought it was beautiful.

"Why choose this?"

"It's me and you." Tom grinned. "Can't you tell?"

Eric laughed, shaking his head. "No, I had no idea. Which one am I?"

"The moon." He answered right away.

"The moon?"

"Yeah. You're the dark and mysterious one out of us." Tom explained. 

"And that makes you the sun." 

"Yeah. Both of us are different, but we complete each other, see." Tom pointed to the line dividing the moon and sun from each other. "They balance each other out. You can't have one without the other." Even in the moonlight, Eric could see blood rushing to Tom's cheeks.

Eric himself blushed as well. 

_I'm so lucky to have him. Most people would kill for him to glance in their direction and here he is, painting me poetic pictures. Every time I think I can't fall even more in love with him, he does something else incredible._

"Wow... That's..." Eric struggled to find the proper words. Nothing was adequate for the amount of warmth that filled his chest as he gazed at Tom and his artistic rendition.

"That good, huh? You should try being a romantic Beckerman. That look on your face is priceless." Tom chuckled. "Now let's see yours."

"Mine, right." Eric had became so overwhelmed with love that he had forgotten about his painting. He stepped out of the way so Tom could get a good look at the painting. Tom's jaw dropped.

Eric had painted Tom sitting with his legs crossed. Painting Tom wore the denim jacket Eric really liked along with dark jeans. A crown rested on top of Tom's hair, strands of hair curling around the golden band. He donned a bright smile, almost as bright as the white wings that spread wide behind him. Splashes of yellow and blue were in the background. 

"Christ... This is incredible. Is that..." Tom trailed off, inspecting Eric's work with a keen eye.

"You? Yeah." Eric said, looking away from Tom. Embarrassment flooded through him. 

"Forget what I said about you trying to be a romantic. I think you have that down. What's with the wings?"

"They're angel wings. You're an angel. Er- In the painting, I mean. Well, and in real life too..." Eric blushed, fumbling around with his words. "I'm glad you like it."

"Like it?! I love it. I love you." Tom pulled Eric into a long kiss, catching Eric off guard. Midway through the kiss, Eric broke out into a smile.

"I love you too." 

After the sweet kiss that left Eric dizzy, the two boys settled down under their newly painted wall and talked. Talked about anything that came to their minds. Talked about their hopes for the future and imprints from the past. Talked about their greatest moments and their worst failures. Eric forgot that they couldn't be out all night. That didn't matter. All that mattered was him and Tom connecting and opening up to each other.

"I'm afraid that all people will see me as is this funny guy with a big house and a shiny car and won't look beyond that." Tom confessed, looking up at the sky. "Most people don't try to go passed that. They don't care." 

Eric nodded, acknowledging Tom's fear. "Well, I know for a fact that there is much more to you than material possessions. I didn't know any of this either. You should open yourself up more and let people in so they can learn that too." Eric traced over where Tom's heart was. Tom smiled. 

"Opening up is hard. It's much easier to hide behind money and parties. What about you? What are you scared of?"

"Spiders." Eric said, shuddering. "They're gross." 

Tom shook his head. "Something not surface level. I think most people are scared of spiders."

Eric paused. There were plenty of things he feared. He was hoping he could just skate by on his less serious fears, but it seemed like Tom had other plans.

"Hm. Lots of things."

"Like?"

"That I'll die alone." Eric morbidly admitted. "That no one truly loves me and the few people that do are pretending." He glanced over at Tom to gauge his reaction. Tom's bushy eyebrows knitted together. 

"Why do you think no one really loves you?"

Eric laughed. "Hah! That's funny." 

'"I wasn't trying to be." Tom frowned, still keeping his serious demeanor. "Why?"

Eric inhaled deeply. "You see how people treat me. I'm used to being the butt of every joke. Naturally, I think that when people say they really like me, it's just another trick. Either to mess with me or for their own self amusement. Maybe both." 

"That's sad that you always feel like that. Opening up must be even harder." Tom sympathetically said. Eric nodded. 

"You got that right. I-"

"Tom?" Someone called out. Eric immediately closed his mouth and glanced around. He saw no one.

_Did someone spot us? Fuck._

"We need to get out of here." Tom read Eric's mind. He started shoving messy paint tubes and brushes back into the bags. Eric helped, some of the paint from the tubes staining his hands as he worked quickly. After getting all of their supplies stowed away, they rushed back to where the car was.

Inside the car, Eric and Tom panted. The car was a ways away from where they were painting so the jog back was lengthy and tiring.

"There goes our daily exercise." Tom joked, fishing for his key in his pocket. "Did you recognize the voice?"

"No." Eric said, pulling his seat belt across his body and buckling it. The voice was high-pitched. It could've been their shock, or just because that was their natural pitch. Eric had no clue which. "Did you?"

"Not at all." Tom turned the car on and pulled out onto the road. "I have no idea how they found us." 

"Me neither. We weren't exactly out in the open." Eric said, pondering how they stumbled across them. "I guess maybe they could live around here."

"That could be true. Do you mind if I stop by my house before I drop you off?" 

"Sure." Eric smiled. More time with Tom? He wasn't complaining.

Tom's house looked three times larger at night that it did during the day. Sparse lights lined the walkway up to the house. 

"You can come in with me if you want." Tom invited Eric, stepping out of the car. Eric didn't need to be told twice. He walked up through the gate and to the front door with Tom. Unlike the outside of the house, the inside was filled with light. If Eric didn't know any better, he would've thought it was daytime.

"I'll be right back." Tom said before disappearing into one of the many mansion rooms. Eric stood in the foyer and stared at the angel statue. It looked as pristine as ever. 

"Hello. I don't believe Tom has ever introduced you to us." 

Eric flinched, not expecting someone to be speaking to him. He looked over and saw two people in front of him; a man and a woman. The woman had wispy hair that floated down her back. She was in a form fitting red dress, a single stranded pearl necklace, and a matching pair of heels. The man had slicked back jet black hair and wore a two piece suit with a scowl on his face. The woman extended her hand towards Eric. 

"I'm Tom's mother. What's your name?"

_This is Tom's mom? Wow. It's weird to be seeing her face to face. I've really only heard about her in stories and from things Tom has mentioned._

"I'm, Uh, Eric. Eric from school." Eric gave Mrs.Phelan a wobbly handshake. He tried his best to smile, but it turned out to be more like a grimace. 

"Eric from school? Interesting. What classes do you have with Tom?"

"Uhhhh Chemistry." Eric said, his cheeks turning a bright red. He didn't think that stopping by Tom's house would entail meeting his parents. It was nerve wracking. Eric's heart rate mirrored him and Tom running back to the car. 

"Mom? Dad?" Tom rushed back into the foyer. He looked from Eric to his parents back to Eric. "You're home early."

"It's not that early, dear. It's night time." Mrs.Phelan gave an airy laugh, checking her thin silver watch. 

"Well, for you guys it's early." Tom mumbled, scratching his head. "C'mon Eric. We should get you back home." Tom turned from his parents almost coldly and left through the large front doors. Eric watched him walk out into the night.

"It was nice to meet you Mr. and Mrs.Phelan." Eric waved. Tom's mom smiled and waved while Mr.Phelan remained stoic. Eric found Tom in his car messing with the music dial.

"If I had known your parents were going to be there, I would've put on something nicer." Eric said, looking down at his ripped jeans and band shirt. "They probably think I'm a weirdo now."

"They think anyone is a weirdo if they aren't rich and aren't like everyone else." Tom hissed, gripping the steering wheel tight. "Sorry about that."

"It's okay. They seemed nice." Eric said, watching Tom drive faster than usual, which was saying something. "You can drive slower, I'm in no rush to get home." 

Tom sighed and his speed dropped. "You're right. Sorry, we just haven't been on good terms lately." 

"I understand. You can always come over to my less cool house if you need to get away from them for a bit." Eric offered. Tom smiled.

"Thank you. I'll keep that in mind." 

After the stress of meeting Tom's parent's, getting caught by Alex, and being possibly spotted by some unknown person, Eric was feeling quite sleepy. His eyes blinked slowly, struggling to stay open. The tune of Tom humming to the radio stayed in his ears as he fell asleep in the comfortable car seat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a pain. I could not for the life of me figure out what I wanted for it. It took lots of re-writing and deleting, but I think it came out okay.


	19. Defenseless

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW in this chapter for assault

With how close Tom and Eric were growing, school was increasingly difficult to navigate. They had to act like strangers, only affording small glances at each other when the opportunity presented itself. Eric was having a less than pleasant time with it. The only reason he somewhat managed was the promise that he would see Tom outside of school. Eric wasn't sure if Tom was struggling with it as much as he was. Whenever he saw Tom, the boy seemed relatively at ease and joyous. Either he was a good actor, or he kept it well hidden.

Despite them being on good terms, school still remained the same. Eric got the same jabs and taunts that he did before Tom was apart of his life. He felt silly for thinking anything would change.

_Maybe if Tom let everyone know about us, I would stop getting harassed._

The bitter thought arose one day while Eric was trying to clean the face of his locker, which had been defaced with various homophobic slurs. In the process of removing the words, some of the original paint peeled off. Eric sighed.

_No, that's not fair to Tom. If people knew about us, he would get slurs like this. I'd rather it be me._

The final result was a spotted mixture of yellow and blue, making it stand out against the row of monochromatic lockers. 

_Good enough. At least there aren't anymore shitty words._

He went to throw away the paper towel he had used and felt a blow to his ankles. He dropped the paper towel and collapsed to the ground, his feet giving out from underneath him.

At first, he was thoroughly confused. He had no idea what had happened except that now he was on the trash littered floor. He looked up and saw a group of people surrounding him. Eric squinted, trying to discern who was in the group.

Sure enough, it was Labib, Beau, Brandon, and Tori. All of them stared down at Eric with smirks that made Eric's stomach queasy. He tried to wriggle away, but Beau stopped him.

"Where do you think you're going?" He asked, towering over Eric. Eric froze and stayed close to the ground.

"N-No where..." He whispered, shrinking back.

_If I appear small and defenseless, they'll surely go away. They'll see that this is no fun when I'm already so weak..._

Brandon delivered a swift kick to Eric's ribs. His breath was knocked out of him. He reflexively let out a gasp. His lip quivered as he tried to shield his face. Unfortunately, that left the rest of his body exposed.

He wasn't sure when it was going to stop. After awhile, Eric stopped keeping track of how many times he was hit. There was no point in trying to get up and leave. All he could do was take it; take all of the punches and kicks and hope that they would finally have some mercy.

But Eric wasn't naive. They wouldn't take pity on him because they never did. The only reason they would stop was if they found something more interesting to do or got bored. Every square inch of Eric's body roared with pain, down to the tips of his toes. He flickered in and out of consciousness, his head spinning into a haze. There was no longer a group of individuals leering down at him, but a mass of limbs attacking him from every angle.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Eric was struggling to keep a hold on the present, but the voice that had addressed the group was so angry, he could hear it fairly clear. His eyes slowly blinked, his tongue lolling out of his mouth. Whoever had showed up had stopped the pain coming for a bit and for that, he was thankful.

"We were just having fun." 

_I think that's Labib. No, Beau. Wait no it's Labib. I think. I'm not sure._

"Yeah, why don't you come give it a try? He looks pretty close to passing out."

_So that's why my head feels all floaty. I hope someone does hit me again so I do pass out. It would be better than feeling all this pain._

"Are you insane? I'm not fucking hitting anyone. Who is it anyways?"

_Who am I? I'm Eric. Eric Beckerman. Who are you? You sound familiar._

Whoever it was bent down. Eric could feel their breath on his face. 

_You smell familiar too._

"Oh my god." The voice trembled. 

_They sound upset. It's okay. I'm used to this. I haven't been beat up in awhile. It was time for it I suppose._

"You idiots stay here. I'm taking him to get help." 

Eric closed his eyes. He felt a pair of strong arms wrap around his torso, lifting him into the air. The last thing he recalled before his vision faded to black was the weightlessness of his body and the mumbling from whoever was carrying him.

*****

"Can you hear me? C'mon, open your eyes. I need to know you're okay." 

Eric groaned, his sight slowly restoring. He had no idea where he was. No idea how much time had passed since he was last conscious. All he knew was that everything ached. He didn't feel like whatever he was inhabiting was his body. The more he came back to reality, the more he noticed his surroundings. It seemed that he was slumped over in a bathroom, a faucet running into a basin.

The only part of his being that didn't hurt was his face. A gentle tickle rubbed his cheek. Whatever it was felt nice.

"Hey... I'm glad that you're awake. You were out for awhile."

Eric blinked his eyes rapidly to clear the remaining blurriness that clouded his vision. Peering over him intently was none other than Tom.

When Eric realized who it was, he turned away shamefully. 

_I don't want you to see me like this. Not with all these ugly marks all over my body. Look away._

In trying to save himself any dignity, he hit his head on the edge of one of the sinks. A pathetic grunt reflexively left Eric's mouth. Tom frowned.

"I'm sorry about startling you. No one is going to hurt you anymore. I'm here. I'm sorry I didn't get there sooner. I was being lectured by Mrs.Sweeney." Eric's burning skin was cooled by the water Tom splashed lightly on his face. "I'll take you to the nurse after you stay conscious for more than thirty seconds. I don't want you to pass out again."

Eric wanted to speak. He wanted to thank Tom for jumping in and standing up to his friends. There was a time Tom would've either joined in or ignored it. As much as he wanted to show his gratitude, he couldn't. It was as if his throat was jammed with stones of varying sizes, keeping him from uttering a single word.

"How are you feeling? No, that's a stupid question. I mean, do you feel well enough to move yet?" Tom rambled. Eric could tell he was nervous. He willed his hand to go to Tom's face and console him. It wouldn't move.

_Don't blame yourself. It's not your fault. I'm the loser here, it's my fault for getting beat up. You had no idea this was going to happen._

Eric mustered up a weak shake of his head. 

"Okay, we'll wait until you can. Stay with me. Don't go closing your eyes again," Tom instructed. He took more water and massaged it into Eric's skin. "Focus on what's here."

Eric stared up at Tom. 

_I'll focus on you. That isn't hard. You don't have to tell me twice. You look good today._

When Eric's eyes began to close, Tom gently slapped his face.

"No. Remember? Stay with me." 

Some of Eric's control returned to his body. He wiggled his fingers. While it hurt, it was still possible to move them. With a groan, he reached forward and tried to grab Tom's hand.

Tom saw Eric's extended fingers and furrowed his eyebrows together. "What is it? What do you want?" It took a few seconds before he made the connection. He sat down next to Eric and let him hold onto his hand.

"Is that better?"

Eric nodded. Through the copious amount of anguish coursing through his body was a slight prick of solace. Holding Tom's hand helped ground him; keep him here instead of going back to unconscious state he teetered on the edge of. 

He didn't know if it was Tom's touch or the fact that he had been resting for awhile, but Eric decided he should seize the brief moment of slight relief to journey to the Nurse's office. His eyes traveled over to the doorway of the bathroom. 

Tom followed his gaze. "You want to go out?"

Eric nodded carefully. That was exactly what he wanted. He was shocked Tom had gotten that from his single glance. 

_I'm glad you figured that out. You know me well._

"This is going to be tough, but at least the Nurse's isn't that far from here. Hold onto me and don't let go." Tom reached down and picked Eric up. 

Eric clung to Tom as if his life depended on it. In a way, it did. He put so much pressure in his grasp, that his pain flared up. Oh well. He had to hold on. He couldn't let go. 

The beige walls that Eric usually detested were a great comfort this time around. It meant he could relax. It meant he no longer had to hold on. He could collapse into a thin cot and lay there until his mind sank into oblivion, which is exactly what he did.

"He has marks all over his body. He was worse when I found him, but he still isn't looking too good. Take good care of him." Tom's worried voice mixed with the hissing radiator near where Eric was sprawled out.

"Of course. I'll try my best."

"Do you think he'll be okay?"

"Eventually, yes. His body is already trying to heal itself as we speak." 

"Can I stay and watch over him for a little?" 

The nurse gave Tom a small smile but shook her head. "He needs to rest. Maybe later once everything has settled down."

_Rest. Rest sounds nice._

"Okay..." Tom walked over to where Eric laid. While the nurse was busy inputting information into her computer, he kissed Eric on the forehead.

"I'll be back later. I hope you feel better when you wake up," He whispered into Eric's ear. He slowly walked towards the door, casting once last glance over at Eric who had already begun to slip into sleep.

*****

Eric had been informed when he woke up that Tom had come to visit him a total of four times after his initial departure. 

"I had to tell him he couldn't come see you for the rest of the day because he was skipping class to come down here." The nurse chuckled as she made her way over to Eric. "You two seem close."

The thought of Tom missing what he was supposed to do to check on him made a blush creep up on Eric's pale face. "Yeah, we are."

The nurse smiled and checked newly wrapped bandages that covered Eric's body. "You should have someone change them every couple of hours until you're well enough to do it yourself. You're going to be in pain for probably a couple of weeks before you start to feel significantly better."

_A couple of weeks? That's a while..._

"But it's not all bad. I'm recommending you stay out of school for at least a week until the major swelling goes down." The nurse rolled up Eric's pant leg. "Do you have someone that can pick you up right now?"

Eric nodded. "My brother." His throat was less constricted than earlier, making it easier to speak.

"Ahhh yes. I have him on file. I'll give him a call." She strode away towards the outdated landline sitting at her desk. Eric used this time to close his eyes and drift back to sleep. He had slept all afternoon, but it still wasn't enough.

The next time Eric was shaken awake, he saw Alex standing by the door. He smiled, happy to see his brother. Alex rushed over to him and wrapped Eric in a hug. 

"I'm glad you're okay. I was so worried when I found out." Alex wasn't the sappy type, but in this moment he held onto Eric so tight that Eric's injuries throbbed.

"Ow," Eric said, wincing. Alex stopped squeezing and backed up. 

"Sorry about that. I'm here to take you home. I'll help you walk out to the car." 

Eric grumbled, holding the thin sheet to his chest. He was afraid to start to move. Alex hugging him had caused a decent amount of pain to flood through his body and he didn't want to make it any worse. "Do I have to go?"

"Your bed is much more comfortable than this. That, and it's the end of the day and school is closing soon, so yes." Alex said, taking the sheet from Eric and setting it at the end of the cot. "Here, put your arm around my shoulder."

Standing up was much harder than Eric had anticipated. It took a good minute before he fully stood without risk of tumbling down.

_I'm not gonna take walking for granted ever again, jeez._

With Alex's support, Eric hobbled to the car. No matter how he sat, he couldn't escape the claws of pain searing into every part of his body. He gritted his teeth and hoped it would pass. To distract himself, he stared out the window.

Walking on the sidewalk was Labib, Beau, Tori, and Brandon. A panicky fluttering arose in Eric's chest. Though he was safely inside Alex's car, seeing them transported him back immediately to the dirty school floor. A nervous sweat broke out on his forehead. 

"Eric? What's wrong?" Alex asked, lines of concern etching into his face. He put his foot on the break, keeping the car from rolling forward.

"N-Nothing... Just... in pain..."

_If I tell him that the people who hurt me are over there, he'll go ape shit. I don't want him to get into trouble beating up minors._

"I'll get you ice when we get home. We aren't too far, so try to just relax." Alex lifted his foot from the break. 

Eric glanced back towards the group. He was so shaken that it took him the second time around to realize that Tom was not walking with them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter of 2018 guys! I'm glad you were all here with me at the tail end of this year. It's so weird to think that in a couple of hours, 2018 will be behind us. Not that I'm complaining. 2018 was an awful year. The only really good part was getting into writing again, something I aim to continue in the new year. I hope all of you have a lovely start to 2019! Also I hit 50k words on this fic and I'm really happy with that ahhhhh:')


	20. Butterfly Kisses

"You heard what the nurse said. We have to change your bandages." 

A couple of hours had passed since Eric was in the Nurse's office. Since then, he had nestled into a mound of blankets and had no intention of leaving them. Alex came to his room on the dot to change his bandages. Eric didn't want to let any of the heat out of his blanket cocoon, so he refused.

"We can go a little bit longer," Eric whined, digging his hands into the folds of his covers. "I'm sure they're fine."

"We won't know if you don't let me check." Alex made a stealthy attempt to get underneath the blankets. Eric spotted him and wrapped the blankets tighter around himself. 

"Ten more minutes," Eric bargained, looking up at Alex with the pleading look that usually worked on Tom. Unfortunately for him, Alex wasn't as easily persuaded.

"Nope. If you don't let me, then I'll tell the school you don't need the week off." He said with a cheeky smile.

"That's not fair!" Eric pouted, sensing defeat on his end. As much as he didn't want to give in, he didn't have much of a choice. Going back to school was _not_ an option.

"Don't move around so much. You'll hurt yourself." Alex helped untangle Eric from the blanket pile. This time, Eric didn't put up a fight. He let Alex remove all of the blankets until he was down to his sweatpants and hoodie.

"I'm gonna check in the bathroom. The light there is much better." Alex said, helping Eric up. Eric grumbled the whole way to the bathroom.

Eric propped himself up against the counter while Alex inspected the bandages lining his body. Blood stained the outside of the gauze in patches of crimson. Every time Alex touched the injuries with a little too much pressure, Eric inhaled sharply. The pain had been with him for hours and yet he was not anymore used to it then when he first was being kicked and punched.

"Sorry... Hey you never told me. What happened?" Alex slowly unwrapped a bandage from around his leg.

"I... uh... I don't know. Some random kids attacked me while I was at my locker," Eric lied, his tone faltering. "I don't know who they were." 

Alex took the roll of gauze and applied a new, less blood-soaked, bandage. "How about what they looked like?" 

"I think one of them had red hair. Dunno. Most of the time I was covering my face so I didn't really see them."

_They're lucky I care about Tom. Otherwise, I would have no problem blowing them in._

Alex moved to Eric's stomach and sighed. "That's not enough. Try to remember more."

Eric shook his head. "Maybe one of them was wearing a beanie? I have no idea. It's all a blur." While he was lying, it wasn't a total eclipse of the truth. When he thought back to it, it all blended together in one confusing concoction of torment. 

"Alright. It could come back to you the more you return back to normal." Alex finished replacing all of the old bandages with new clean ones. "Get some rest. Your body needs it."

Alex helped Eric back to his room, making sure he was settled into bed comfortably before going back downstairs. Eric yawned, pulling the blankets around himself and dozing off into an early night's sleep, the lights still on in his room.

The morning after the incident, Eric felt like he had been hit by a car. He hadn't, but he may as well have been. Every slight turn of his body ached. He tried to stay in the same position, but couldn't help moving from time to time. It wasn't until a fair amount of time passed since he woke up that Eric was even able to get up to head to the bathroom.

He had been dreading stepping in front of a mirror. He didn't want to see the damage. He didn't want to be reminded of what had been done to him. The pain spiking through him was enough.

_Just go to the bathroom. Walk passed the mirror. You don't need to look._

Eric started to walk, but his eye got caught on the flash of his reflection. Out of morbid curiosity, he ignored his thoughts and lifted up his shirt. 

His normally pale chest was covered in splotches of purple. On a standard day he wasn't the fondest of his body. But seeing it covered in all of these hideous marks filled him with an overwhelming disgust. He lowered his shirt back down and tried to put it out of his mind.

When Eric got back to his room, he struggled with finding a position that didn't make his injuries flare up anymore than they already were. As he was wrestling with a red blanket, his phone buzzed.

(12:04 PM): I'm coming over after school 

Eric smiled at the message from Tom. He hadn't seen him since he had brought him to the Nurse's office.

_I can finally thank him for rescuing me. I never got to yesterday._

Eric spent the rest of the day waiting around for Tom. He tried to go back to sleep, but couldn't. He was too excited to get to see Tom for more than a couple minutes. 

_Why does time have to pass so slow? Can't school just be over by now? I don't want to wait any longer._

Eric kept himself occupied by listening to music and keeping a close eye on the clock on his phone. 

_1... 1:02... 1:03... 1:03 still... Ugh._

Eric gave up on monitoring the time. Doing so was only making him more restless. Instead, he let himself drift into a midday nap. 

Eric's dream started off in school. School looked as it did in real life, the same bland lockers and obnoxious headache-inducing fluorescent lights. Eric glanced down at his arms. There were no bruises.

_Huh... I don't feel any pain. Maybe I can stay in this world instead of the other one._

Eric moved through the halls, heading towards his locker. He dialed the combination. The locker opened smoothly. Eric took out a pile of folders as he felt an arm slide around his shoulders. Startled, he whipped his head around.

"Tom? What are you doing?" Eric asked, his face flushing red. Tom had his arm around Eric with a smirk playing on his lips.

"What do you mean? I came to see you." Tom leaned forward and kissed Eric on the cheek. "Am I not allowed to see my boyfriend?"

"Well, Er, Yeah. But... we're in school," Eric spluttered. "People could see us."

Tom gave him a funny look. "They've known we've been dating for awhile... Are you okay?"

Eric was at a loss of words; only able to make small stuttering noises. "Y-Yeah... I'm okay." He eventually choked out. 

_In this dream we're dating and the whole school knows? Yeah, this is definitely a dream for sure..._

"Hey Tom, Eric." Brandon came up next to Tom and waved to both of them. Eric froze, his heart beating in his chest. The sight of one of the people who assaulted him was no less intimidating, regardless of where it happened to take place. 

"Eric? You good there?" Brandon said, raising an eyebrow. "You look pale."

Eric nodded, going against every single cue his body was sending him. Brandon took this as a sufficient answer. "So tonight we're all going to the movies. Do you guys want to come with us? We have two extra tickets."

_I'm being invited to the movies instead of being beaten up?! I could get used to this..._

Tom looked to Eric. "Are you busy tonight?" 

Eric shook his head. "No. I don't think so." Tom squeezed his shoulder.

"Awesome. We'll be there." 

Tom was going to go into kiss Eric, when the walls of the school began to disappear around them.

"Eric?"

Eric's eyes shot open. He blinked, his eyes adjusting to the change in atmosphere. Tom was sitting on the edge of his bed, staring at Eric with a playful grin on his face. 

"Sorry to wake you. You looked peaceful. Have a good dream?"

Eric blushed at the mention of his dream. He nodded, not elaborating any further. "How did you get in?"

"Your brother." Tom ran his hand through his hair. "He didn't yell at me or anything. I was shocked."

Eric was glad to hear that Alex wasn't starting issues with Tom. "Really? That's good." He tried to not let his gaze fixate on Tom's face, though he struggled. Tom looked exceptionally well today in his designer long sleeve and jeans.

"Alex told me you're going to be out of school for a week." Tom shifted his body towards Eric.

"Yeah, until most of the major swelling and stuff goes away." Eric sat up in the bed and rested his head on the wall. "I'll be stuck here for awhile."

"I'll come visit you every day then. Every day after school." Tom smiled. "Hopefully that makes you less bored."

"Thank you, for getting me to the Nurse's and for that." Eric's heart fluttered as he thought about Tom by his side each day. It was something to look forward to. "But what about my mom? I'm supposed to not be seeing you..." The temporary joy at the prospect of getting to hang out with Tom was already being crushed as the idea had just been born.

"I'll be coming over around 3. Doesn't your mom get home from work later than that?" Tom asked. 

"Yeah. She usually gets home around 5 or 6..." The idea wasn't completely decimated. Eric thought about this realistically. "You have to make sure you leave before then." 

"No problem." Tom grinned. "We can make this work."

"If you say so." Eric nervously said. It was risky, but Tom seemed to be used to risk. 

"How do they look?" Tom switched the topic, inching towards Eric. Eric looked down, biting his lip. "My bruises?"

Tom nodded. "Yeah, those." 

"Not good." He admitted, playing with the bottom of his shirt. Tom moved closer, sitting at the end of Eric's feet.

"Let me see."

"N-No! They're ugly," Eric insisted. He could barely look at them himself. He didn't want Tom to see. He would be repulsed. 

"If they're apart of you, then they're not ugly." Tom's hand brushed against Eric's skin as he went to lift his shirt. Eric blushed. Tom's touch, no matter how slight, always managed to make a swarm of butterflies fly inside his stomach.

The air hit Eric's exposed skin, making him shiver. Tom stared at all of Eric's different bruises. Eric shamefully looked away. He couldn't bear to see a sickened expression flicker across Tom's face.

_Get it over with. Say how gross it looks- how gross I look._

Tom didn't say anything for a good minute. His eyes lingered over the bruises, so intently that to Eric it was like he was studying them. Then, without saying anything, Tom began to kiss every single bruise on Eric's torso and stomach.

Every kiss made Eric's heart skip a beat and a tingle run down his spine. The kisses were so gentle that they didn't make his injuries hurt. In fact, they made him feel better. Whether it was because it was actually doing anything or solely because it was Tom's lips on him was besides the point.

"See? They're not ugly." Tom looked up once he had gone over every bruise at least twice. "Though I wish you didn't have any at all."

"Me too." Eric said, staring Tom deeply in his warm, brown eyes.

"This may be totally inappropriate, but is it okay if I kiss you?" Tom asked, his smile widening. 

Eric giggled. "I think that is most certainly inappropriate, but that doesn't mean I'm going to stop you." 

Tom crawled back over to Eric and leaned up to kiss him. Eric closed his eyes and waited to feel Tom's lips on his own. Before the boys could make contact, Alex called out.

"Woah, let's keep it PG-13 in here." He peered in Eric's doorway that Eric now cursed for not being closed. Eric and Tom flew apart. 

_God damn Alex. Of course he would do something like this. Tom is never going to want to come over now._

Eric wasn't sure if he or Tom was blushing more. "Sorry about that." Tom apologized. "I should get going anyways." He stood up from the bed.

"No, you don't have to go yet. Alex was just leaving." Eric glared. Alex chuckled and walked away. Tom turned around and kissed Eric on the forehead. 

"I unfortunately have something I must do, but I'll be back tomorrow. Okay?"

Disappointment replaced the happiness he had felt upon Tom's presence. He covered it up with a smile. "Okay. See you then." 

*****

Tom kept his promise to visit each day; showing up around 3 in the afternoon consistently. In addition to going over, he brought small gifts for Eric. So far, Eric had received a tray of brownies, a new pair of earbuds (which he was extra thankful for, as his were nearing their end), a bottle of soda, a DVD, Oreos, and a few shades of nail polish. The nail polish was probably his favorite. He smiled as he thought about Tom hunched over in the beauty aisle debating on which colors to choose.

Over the course of the next week, Eric noticed that his pain lessened with each day. For awhile, it was really rough. Some days he tried to sleep as much as he could so he didn't have to experience the stinging and aching. At around day 4, Eric finally noticed a difference. 

Besides the pain, physically he saw changes too. The bandages didn't need to be changed as often, and the marks under them weren't as harsh and purple. He could touch them for a few seconds whereas before even a single poke would send a spiral of agony his way. 

Time off from school was nice too. He enjoyed being in his own bed where no one could harass or hurt him. The only people he interacted with were his family and Tom, and he was more than fine with that. 

On Eric's last day staying home, he tried to relish in it as much as possible. He had grown used to being secluded away from most everyone. The thought of having to leave his bed was daunting.

Eric was alarmed when his phone didn't go off around 3. Tom always sent him a text letting him know he was on his way. It was 3:05 and still nothing. Radio silence.

_He's probably running late. Maybe traffic was really bad today. I'm sure that he'll explain when he gets here._

The more hours that ticked by, the less hopeful Eric felt. What started as a small worry at the back of his mind developed into a concern that consumed his every thought. 

_Should I send a text? No. I'll seem needy and clingy. I should wait._

Around 8 PM, Eric had given up.

_I guess he doesn't want to see me today..._

Eric stopped obsessively checking his phone. The pang that struck his heart each time he saw that he had no notifications was too much for him. He curled up in his blankets. As he was about to fall asleep, his phone interrupted him.

Eric sighed and reached over to grab his phone.

_Alex if this is one of your jokes, I don't appreciate it right now._

But it wasn't Alex. Eric read the text on screen, his confusion only multiplying with each word.

(8:15 PM, Tom): Hey, can I spend the night?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First chapter of the new year everyone! I hope you all are having a good 2019 so far. I was struggling to write this chapter but I'm glad what I wanted to do with it came out in the end:') Also we love cliffhangers, don't we? ;)


	21. Close Call

Eric stared down at the phone screen, Tom's message blinking impatiently. He re-read the text over and over, making sure that it was really there.

_Well at least he isn't trying to avoid me. That's good._

(8:17 PM): _Why?_

Short and simple. Tom kept him in the dark, so he would retaliate by being purposely vague. It wasn't too long until he got a response.

(8:18 PM): I'll explain when I see you

(8:19 PM): _That’s awfully presumptuous. I haven’t even said you could stay yet._

Not that he minded the idea of Tom in his bedroom. In fact, the idea of Tom curled up next to him as they slept together was enough to cause a considerable blush to break out on his face. Unfortunately, a more imposing concern crossed his mind. 

_What about my mom? I’m still not supposed to be hanging around Tom. If she comes in here and sees him, she’ll freak._

(8:20 PM): Presump-what? Does that mean yes?

Eric laughed at Tom's reply. He should've guessed a word like that wasn't in his daily vocabulary. Shaking his head at his own mistake, he typed a message back.

(8:22 PM): _Fine, but you have to keep quiet._

(8:23 PM): You won't even know I'm here:)

Eric smiled and set his phone back down. He strained his ears to hear what was going on downstairs. His Mom's footsteps padded against the hardwood floor. 

_Mom is probably in the kitchen, so I can't bring him in through the garage. Hmmm... I'll have to bring him through the front door and make sure Mom stays far enough away so I have time to get him up here._

Eric picked his phone back up. If this was going to even have a shot of working, Tom had to be informed about his plan.

(8:26 PM): _When you get here, come up to the front door. Don't ring the doorbell or knock. Just text me._

Eric kept his phone clutched in his hand and walked down the stairs as nonchalantly as possible, despite his heart racing. As he walked into the kitchen, his Mom turned her head and smiled.

"Hi honey. Did you like dinner tonight? I know we haven't had lasagna in awhile and it's one of your favorite meals." She wrung her hands on a towel slung over the handle of the oven. Eric nodded.

"Yeah it was good." 

_Lasagna. Yes, dinner. Don't think about Tom coming over. Focus Eric, focus._

"Did you need something?" She eyed Eric curiously. Eric dug his hand into his palm and gulped.

"N-No. Just came down to-" He looked around the kitchen. The plates from dinner were stacked neatly in the drying rack near the sink.

_Shit. There goes my plan to do the dishes._

"-see what you were up to." Eric recovered and gave a vague answer. Thankfully, his mom didn't pick up on his shifting gaze or hesitance of his words. She picked up a book resting on the counter.

"Well, I finished the dishes and now I'm going to read in the family room." She tapped the cover of her book. Eric glanced at the imagery on it. There was a woman in a floral dress standing near a large tree. 

"Oh, that's nice. What's the book about?" 

"Nothing you would like I'm sure." His Mom laughed. "It's about this woman who lived her whole life in the city. After a messy divorce, she moves to the country. It's a big change from the city and she doesn't know how to feel about it at first-"

_Buzz._

Eric's phone vibrated in his pocket. He kept his phone below the counter so his mom didn't see it. Looking down, he squinted at the screen.

(8:43 PM): Be there in two

"-And she ends up meeting this guy who has lived in the country his whole life and they start having a romance." His Mom grinned, getting lost in the explanation of her corny romance book. 

"Interesting." Eric said, though he hadn't really been paying attention. His mind was on his current real life romance. "Sounds fascinating, Mom. Happy reading." He watched his mom walk off to the family room and curl up in the worn out recliner. As she sat down, the springs creaked. She had barely been sitting for a minute and already she looked enraptured in the printed text.

Eric walked out of the kitchen and stood by the front door, peeking out through the window. It had been roughly two minutes and still there was no sight of Tom.

_Maybe he forgot the address? Should I remind him and text him?_

Luckily, there was no need. Two gleaming headlights appeared in the driveway. Last time, Tom was obnoxiously revving his engine. This time, however, it seemed as if Tom was taking Eric's quiet rule seriously.

"I'm going to step outside for a minute," Eric called out, inching his hand towards the doorknob. 

"Mhm okay." His Mom replied. Eric waited to see if she would add anything or question him. After a few moments of silence, he guessed she had gone back to her book. The headlights in the driveway faded to black. Suddenly, Eric could no longer see the sleek shape of the car in the dark. Eric turned the doorknob and walked outside. The air would've pricked at his skin, if not for the jacket he had on. He stayed stationary on the porch.

Though he couldn't see that far into the night, he could hear one of the doors of the car opening and closing. The sound of sneakers pounding on pavement echoed in his ears as Tom drew closer.

"I hope that's you up there," Tom's voice drifted over to Eric. Eric looked around. Tom sounded so far yet so close. His voice had that capability. 

The only light came from the single bulb hanging above Eric's head. Tom finally fell within his line of sight. He was wearing a simple(yet pricey) hoodie and a pair of sweatpants. His brown eyes didn't have their usual bright sheen. Even in the pale light, Eric could tell something was off.

"You're lucky it was me. You should've checked before saying anything," Eric reprimanded. "What if that wasn't me?"

"But it was. Your point doesn't stand." Tom smiled, looking beyond Eric and through the window. "You look good."

"Don't try and get out of this by compliments." Eric turned around to face the door, obscuring his pink cheeks from Tom. He glanced over at the car in the driveway. "You should go park it down the street. Otherwise, my mom will wonder who the hell has their expensive green car in our driveway when she leaves for work tomorrow."

"Glad you caught that." Tom said, walking back over to his car. He pulled out of the driveway. Eric couldn't tell where he had parked down the road, but all he knew was that by the time Tom came back, he could no longer spot the outline of the car.

"Good. Now we're going to go inside. Follow my lead." Eric instructed, slowly turning the doorknob. 

"I'm back," Eric called out, motioning to Tom to join him inside. Tom quickly stepped inside after Eric.

"Okay. Get ready for bed. Your first day back to school is tomorrow." His mom yelled from the other room.

"It's nine Mom." Eric groaned, his blush only deepening. 

_Tom is going to think I have a bedtime. God, whenever I'm with him I swear my family always acts the most embarrassing._

"I know. It's never too late to start getting ready for bed." The chair creaked. Eric cursed under his breath. 

_She's coming!_

"Follow me," He whispered to Tom, running up the stairs. Tom followed closely behind Eric, looking out behind him. Just as Eric's mom made it to the bottom of the stairs, Eric shoved Tom into his room and closed the door.

_Oops. Sorry Tom._

Eric turned around as if he didn't just shove his boyfriend he wasn't supposed to be seeing into his room. He used his limited acting experience to put on a believable calm demeanor.

"Do you want Alex to take you to school tomorrow, or would you rather take the bus?" His Mom asked, placing her hand on the rail and looking up at Eric.

"Alex." Eric said. No question about it. He would rather have a likely pleasant car ride with his brother than deal with a smelly bus filled with kids glaring at him as he sat in a seat alone. "I'm gonna go get ready like you said."

"Good idea." His mom seconded his claim, retreating back to the family room.

Eric sighed in relief. Tom was safely in his room and his Mom didn't suspect a thing. Crisis averted. When he walked into his room, he saw Tom thumbing through one of his journals. His heart rate that had just started to relax jumped up. He rushed over and tore it out of Tom's grasp. Tom, who hadn't expected Eric to grab it, wasn't prepared. The journal wasn't hard for Eric to attain.

"Don't read those! They're private." He looked down at the section Tom had open. A sense of horror struck him as he read through the messy paragraph on the page.

_I think I'm doomed to always be like this. No friends, no social life, no love. I've been this this for as long as I can think back. I don't think it's ever going to change. I doubt I'll live passed 20. At least I hope I don't. I can't see myself older. I don't want to be older. I don't want to exist at all. Not existing for awhile would be nice. I wonder what it would be like to just not be here. Anything would be better than going through every day feeling like shit._

Eric bit his lip and closed the journal. He set it back down on his desk and stayed in the same spot. He could feel Tom's eyes locked on him, despite him refusing to look over. 

"I wouldn't like that." Tom said, slashing the thick tension that was building around them. "No, not at all. I'm glad you exist." A small breath escaped Eric's mouth as Tom rested his hand on Eric's shoulder. 

He wasn't sure what to feel. His emotions were all over the place in a messy scramble. He was glad that Tom wasn't mocking him, but it was weird to have someone else know he thought these things. He hadn't ever talked to anyone about what was in his journals. He was caught in between comfort and the sense that he was being intruded on.

"Yeah? That's good." He tried to be as blasé as possible, walking over to his bed and dangling his feet over the side. Tom sat down next to him.

"You know, you can always talk to me about stuff like this. I'm not the best with emotions, but I can try," Tom said, an understanding look on his face. Though he was still quite embarrassed, Eric smiled at the sentiment.

"Thank you... But this is about you. Why did you want to sleep over?" Eric more than happily switched the conversation to something he could talk about without being riddled with shame. "You never came over today at 3."

"Ah... That. I figured that would be coming up soon." Tom ran a hand through his hair, one of his nervous habits Eric had picked up on. "You sure you wanna get into heavy stuff?"

"Yeah. I want to know what could possibly make you want to stay here while you basically have a palace you live in regularly." Eric joked. Tom chuckled.

"The palace isn't all it's cracked up to be. There are cracks developing in between the walls." Tom moved to cross his legs but ended up falling onto the floor. 

"Eric? Are you okay?" Eric's Mom yelled, her voice traveling all the way up from the family room.

Tom opened his mouth to laugh. Eric rushed over to him and put a finger up to his mouth. "Shhhh."

Keeping his finger pressed to Tom's lips, he angled his head towards the door. Tom was cracking up. He made goofy faces at Eric, trying to get him to break out into laughter. Eric shook his head at Tom, resisting the urge to laugh.

"Yeah, I just fell I'm okay." 

"Be careful, or you'll end up out of school for another week," She warned. Eric listened to see if she was going to come up to check on him. He didn't detect any footsteps.

Eric took his finger away from Tom's mouth. "Do you wanna get us caught?" 

Tom covered his mouth and laughed into it. "No, but I like that look on your face when you're trying to not laugh." He crawled back up onto the bed. "You know you wanted to laugh." 

"No I didn't," Eric lied, sitting up next to Tom. "I wasn't even close to laughing." He crossed his arms defiantly. 

"Oh reaalllly?" Tom asked, wiggling an eyebrow. "Is that so?"

"Yeah really. You can't make me laugh." Eric smiled, teasing Tom. He knew that the eager boy wouldn't back down from a challenge. 

"Yeah? We'll see about that," Tom said. No long after the words left his mouth, he turned on Eric and began to tickle him. Eric let out a subdued screech and fell down onto the bed.

"Noooo that's not f-fair!" He exclaimed. He was glad that his injuries weren't hurting as much anymore, otherwise it would've been even worse. Tom smirked and tickled everywhere he possibly could.

"Hmmmmm where are Beckerman's most ticklish spots? Let's find out." He started with Eric's chest and moved all the way down to his stomach. Every spot on Eric was as ticklish as the last. He bit his lip to try and keep laughter from pouring out of his mouth. He scrunched up his nose. Tom saw this and only went more intensely.

"Ohhhh no, there is no getting out of this. I _will_ get you to laugh. Might as well give up now." Eric's hands were guarding his sides protectively, hoping Tom didn't pay attention. He wasn't so lucky.

"Move your hands awayyyy." Tom dug his fingers underneath Eric's cupped palms and shooed Eric's hands away. Eric, being in the compromising position that he was, was in no place to refuse. His hands went from his sides to flying up in the air.

"S-Stopppp-" Eric called out weakly, wiggling around on the bed. He tried to roll away out of range of Tom's hands. Tom shook his head.

"Nice try." He straddled Eric, gaining more control over the curly haired boy. Eric giggled and squealed. There was nowhere for him to go now that Tom was sitting on top of him. He just had to endure the tickles until Tom was satisfied. 

"Tom stoppppp-" Eric pleaded. "I give uppp, you can m-make me laughhh!" He flailed around, his body shifting as if it still had a chance to get away.

Tom gave him one last tickle on his stomach and chuckled. He looked down at Eric, who was panting and staring up at him with flushed cheeks. Tom bent down and kissed Eric's parted mouth. Eric was in quite the shock from intense tickling to kissing Tom. His hands lay limply at his sides as he kissed Tom back.

Eric had to pull away, trying to catch his breath. 

"That was for last time when we didn't get to kiss." Tom winked, staying straddled on top of Eric. "See, I told you that I could make you laugh."

"Y-Yeah... I guess you're right," Eric breathlessly stated, looking up at Tom. "We should get ready for bed." Though it was setting into the colder months, the room felt like a hundred degrees to Eric. 

"It's early. We should have some fun first." Tom's eyes bore deep into Eric's. He kissed along the edge of Eric's jaw. Eric groaned and laid his head back onto the pillow. Tom knew exactly what he was doing. Every kiss, every touch—was deliberate. It made Eric feel inexperienced.

_Of course he's good. He's probably done this a million times._

Eric dismissed the thought and focused on what Tom was doing to him. He had slipped his hand under Eric's thin cotton shirt and rubbed his hand along his chest. Tingles of pleasure rippled throughout Eric, and Tom had barely been touching him for that long. 

"You're so sensitive," Tom chuckled, his breath hot on Eric's neck. Eric shuddered and his eyelids fluttered closed. 

"It doesn't help that you're as hot as you are," Eric murmured. He didn't expect Tom to hear him. He had said it fairly quiet.

"Hmmm I think you're hotter," Tom argued. As to prove this, he placed a series of kisses along Eric's collarbone. "I'm surprised you don't have all the boys at school fawning over you."

"They're too busy fawning over you," Eric said, squirming under Tom. 

_He thinks I'm hotter than him? That's hilarious. Anyone in school would kill to be with him._

"Well I'm glad they don't like you. That means more of you for me." Tom smiled. He kissed down Eric's body until right above the belt of his jeans. Eric groaned, his hands curling into fists. 

Tom wasted no time in dragging his fingers along Eric's belt. Eric thought he was going to go right into undoing it but he stopped, a familiar smirk dancing on his lips. Instead of taking the belt out and tossing it aside, Tom started playing with the belt loops on his jeans.

"What are you doing?" Eric asked, panting. He was getting used to the sensation of Tom's lips and touch against his skin. It was jarring to have it stop suddenly.

"Teasing you." Tom moved his hand down and started to palm Eric through his jeans. Eric bit his lip hard; the only way he kept the moan threatening to break free, in. Tom's touch had layers of clothing in between it and Eric's skin, but regardless, Eric couldn't deny that it felt amazing. His hips bucked involuntarily. As bad as he wanted to remain composed and in control, it was becoming increasingly difficult.

"Don't do that," Eric groaned. "That isn't very nice." 

"I think it is. At least for me." Tom said, not letting up. Eric whimpered, reaching his hand out to touch Tom. 

"You're so pretty when you're desperate for me to touch you." Tom whispered in Eric's ear, purposefully dragging his words out. Every syllable made the tiny hairs on Eric's neck stand up. 

"P-Please Tom-" Eric lowly begged. "I-"

"You what?" Tom paused his touching. Eric groaned. He thought being teased was bad, but Tom stopping altogether was worse. He was throbbing; his jeans much tighter than they were a couple minutes ago.

"I want you to keep going. P-Please-" Eric couldn't think straight. All he was concerned with was Tom getting back to touching him. He helplessly tried to grab the collar of Tom's shirt to pull him into a kiss, but failed. 

Tom saw Eric's attempt and leaned in. He froze centimeters away from Eric's lips, staring him down. Eric blushed furiously.

"You want me to what?" 

"You k-know what-" Eric said, his eyes shifting away. Tom used a single finger to guide Eric's face back.

"Say it."

"I want you t-to... touch me," Eric said the latter part of his sentence so quietly it was almost inaudible. Tom grinned, placing his hand to where it was before.

"Good boy." He kissed Eric on the lips while touching him. Eric moaned into his mouth, melting into the mattress. He was sure that when he got up, he would see his outline.

Barely a minute had passed from when Tom resumed teasing him that a sharp knock came at his door.

"Eric? Can I come in to say night to you?"

Eric and Tom had similar horrified expressions on their faces. Eric pointed to the closet and mouthed 'go there'. Tom scrambled off of Eric and dived into the closet. He buried himself in the pile of clothes along the carpeted closet floor. 

"Yeah. Come in." Eric pulled the covers around him and tried to fix his messy tangle of hair. He hoped the red blush of his cheeks wasn't noticeable, though he could feel heat radiating off of them. The doorknob turned.

"How are you feeling? All ready for the big day tomorrow?" Eric's Mom stood at the door, leaning on the frame. 

"It's just school, not that big." Eric dismissed. "I'm sure it will be like any other day." 

"True. But you haven't been there in a little." 

"And I'm sure everyone will be as annoying as always." Eric replied. The thought of dealing with all of the kids that made his life miserable cooled his cheeks down considerably. 

"I'm sure things will be okay... Sleep well." She waved before closing the door. Her steps echoed down the hall until fading into silence.

Tom peeked his head out of the clothes mound he was submerged in. "Whew. That was close." 

"Too close," Eric sighed in relief. "Alright, let's get ready for bed." 

"You sure you don't want to go back to what we were doing?" Tom asked, standing up. Eric shook his head.

"As tempting as that is, I think it's better we get settled in for the night." 

"Huh... You're a weird dude Beckerman." Tom walked over to the light switch on the wall and flicked it off. "Do you want me to sleep on the floor? Orrrr?"

"You can sleep with me. I mean, er-" Eric stuttered, realizing how that sounded. "-next to me in bed. If you're, uh, okay with being close to me." He glanced down at his small bed. 

"No complaints there." Tom smiled, walking over to the bed. He laid down next to Eric, crawling over to the right side. "Are you okay with me having this side?"

"You can have whatever side you want." Eric said, watching Tom fumble with one of his blankets. "Here, I got it." He spread the blanket so it covered both of them.

"That's better." Tom smiled, wrapping his arms around Eric's midsection. "You're the little spoon." He chuckled, nuzzling his head into Eric's neck.

"Of course I am." Eric giggled. Tom was much more cuddly than he had ever thought when he saw him roaming the hallways in school. Tom wouldn't admit it, but Eric knew he liked affection just as much as him. "I've always been." 

The boys both fell quiet after the shared laughter. In fact, it had stayed quiet for so long that Eric thought Tom had fallen asleep.

"Eric? Are you still up?" Tom's voice called out. 

"Yeah." 

Can't sleep either?" 

"I guess. Why can't you sleep?"

The room fell silent again. Eric turned around, facing Tom. The pale moonlight coming in from outside was the only reason he was able to see the unsure look flit across Tom's normally confident, set, expression. 

"It's nothing." Tom rolled over, his back to Eric. Eric frowned and nudged him.

"Tell me. Something is bothering you." 

"You don't know that." Tom mumbled into the pillow. 

"I can tell. You look worried." Eric pointed out, running his hand along Tom's back. "Turn around and tell me what's wrong." Though Tom was right next to him, he felt distant; like he was in a completely different bed separate from Eric.

"If I turn around, I won't be able to tell you." 

"Fine. You can stay turned around, but at least move your mouth away from the pillow. It's hard to hear you."

A light shuffling noise came from Tom's side. "Better?"

"Yes." 

Eric heard Tom inhale deeply. "So. Uh. Yeah. I never did tell you why I wanted to sleep over."

Eric shook his head. He was confused when Tom didn't say anything.

_Idiot. He isn't looking at you, he can't see you shake your head._

"No, you never did," Eric said once he realized his error.

"Well, uh-" Tom stumbled with his words. Yet another thing Eric didn't see much. Tom always knew what to say.

"-my family life is kinda a mess. You wouldn't think that just from looking at us. My mom and dad are both really successful. My mom is a lawyer and my dad is a CEO. Then they have me, one of the most popular kids at school. Ok ew that sounds so gross to say I'm never saying that again." Tom laughed at himself. 

"Anyways, so yeah. From the outside things look fine. But they aren't. My parents have a ton of marriage problems. Recently, both me and my mom learned that dad was having an affair with one of the women who works for him." 

_An affair? Oh god._

"But they've been having issues before that. They yell a lot. I'm glad I have headphones and games to tune it out." Tom said, a note of hollowness in his voice. "Then there is how they are with me."

The heaviness hanging in the air doubled. Eric stared at Tom's back, wishing he could look into his eyes. He wanted to wrap Tom in his arms and hug the sadness out of him. 

"Well, mostly my dad. He's really harsh on me. If I do anything that isn't up to his standards, he yells at me, or on good days, has a very stern talk with me. I think he's trying to train me to be a little version of him. I hate it. Even when you came over, he gave me an entire lecture about how I need to stay away from 'weird' kids. No offense."

"None taken." Eric added. He was more alarmed at how restricting Tom's dad was to him than being labeled as a weird kid. That was old news. "That's so fucked up."

"I guess... I don't know, he's always been like that. When I was younger, I would always get forced into playing sports and other stereotypical guy shit I didn't really care about. I wanted to just chill around the house and there he would be, shoving a football into my hands and making me play for hours with him till my hands ached."

"If he ever figured out I wanted to be a filmmaker or about my sexuality, he would lose his shit. I wouldn't be shocked if kicked me out or disowned me. Anyways, he and my mom were having a worse night than usual tonight. Which, is saying something. I walked downstairs to get a drink, and he slammed the refrigerator before I could get it. He scared me, so I backed up into the wall. He yelled in my face for a good five minutes about how I wasn't good enough and how I would never be as successful as him..." Tom trailed off. 

"...I just didn't want to be there any longer. I was sick of the yelling." His voice cracked. Eric frowned, tearing up just from hearing the story. He could only imagine how Tom felt dealing with the situation firsthand. He wiped the corner of his eyes and laid his hand gently on Tom's back. 

"Nothing he says is true. You're going to be successful in the future, even if it's not how he wants you to be successful. You're a good person."

Tom shook Eric's hand off his back, hunching his shoulders. "No. I'm not a good person. I used to treat you horribly. I've treated other people horribly. I'm an asshole." If Eric didn't know any better, he would've thought he was talking to someone else. "He's right to think that stuff. I deserve it."

Eric couldn't stand to listen to Tom deprecate himself any further. He wrapped his arms around Tom, pulling him close. "No. No one deserves that. Certainly not you. Sure you may have your moments, but I know that at heart you're a good person. You didn't have to take me to the Nurse's. You could've just left me there. You didn't have to see me every day after I was hurt, but you did. You're a good person and that's one of the many reasons I love you."

Tom didn't reply at first. He remained frozen in Eric's arms. But once the words fully sank in, he turned around to face Eric. Streams of tears stained his cheeks. He rested his head on Eric's chest.

"Do you really mean that?" He asked like an unsure child. Eric nodded, resting his head on top of Tom's.

"Yeah. I mean it with everything in me," Eric reassured, keeping his arms tight around Tom. "I wouldn't lie to you."

Tom reached up and wiped the tears away that resided on his cheeks. "Good. No one has ever said I was a good person before."

"If you were to ask me a couple of months ago, I wouldn't have said it either." Eric smiled. "You put on a good act."

Tom groaned and smacked Eric's face lightly. "Don't push it." 

The boys fell asleep a couple minutes after Eric placed one last kiss on Tom's forehead. They faced each other as they slept, their arms wrapped around each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I planned on getting this out yesterday, but I didn't realize how long this chapter was gonna be oops! Hopefully you feel compensated by the length. I took y'all on a journey here. We went all over; angry, sad, sensual, emotional, cute. It isn't a good chapter if you don't experience all the major emotions in one sitting:)


	22. Fun Little Experiment

Eric didn't expect that the first thing he would see when he woke up was Alex hovering over him. The sight of his brother jolted him out of sleep quicker than any alarm ever had. He slid his arms out from around Tom and grabbed fistfuls of the blanket covering them. The rustling woke Tom, who groaned. He buried his head in the pillow.

"It's too early. Can't we go back to sleep?" He mumbled, half awake.

"What the fuck is Tom doing here?" Alex asked, both angry and confused at the same time. 

"Who's that?" Tom rolled over and opened his eyes. Upon seeing Alex, he shrunk up against the wall. "Fuck."

"Fuck is right." Alex said, crossing his arms. "I'm here to take you to school. You weren't answering so I had to pick the lock. Normally, I'd let you just sleep in, but it's your first day back." Alex sent a glare in Tom's direction before focusing on Eric. "So, explain. Why is Tom here?"

"He, uh," Eric stuttered. "Was having a rough night at home so I let him stay."

Alex nodded, his gaze still narrowed. "Yeah? How kind of you. Meet me in the kitchen when you're done getting ready." He flatly stated, walking out of the room and down the stairs.

Eric looked to Tom with rosy cheeks. "Sorry about that. I didn't think that would happen either." He kept the blankets up to his chest as if he was naked. Tom rubbed the inside of his neck.

"You think he's gonna snitch on you?"

Eric shook his head. "He hasn't so far. I don't think he's going to start now." Him and Alex had a brotherly trust. Even when they disagreed, they wouldn't expose each other. "Did you bring clothes to change into for school?"

"Yeah. I left them in my car." Tom was the first to leave the nest of blankets. He crawled out of bed and walked to the door. "I'll go get dressed in there."

"In the car? Tom, that isn't necessary. You can just-" Before he could finish his sentence, Tom walked out of the room and out of Eric's sight. 

_He's upset. Of course. He's probably embarrassed too. Not to mention that him and Alex have always been at odds._

Eric pathetically cast his blankets aside and hauled himself out of bed. He evaluated himself in the mirror. As much as he didn't feel like it, he needed to change out of his rumpled clothes. He spotted a clean pair of black jeans and a plain red t-shirt laying in a crumpled pile on the floor.

_This will do._

Once Eric got changed, he grabbed his favorite black beanie. He didn't feel like trying to fuss with his hair and trying to work it into a manageable state. The beanie was a much more efficient way of dealing with the issue. 

The last thing Eric grabbed before heading out of his room was his backpack. The mass of binders, folders, and notebooks were heavy on his shoulders. Staying home from school for a week meant he forgot how the straps of his bag dug into him and weighed him down. 

"That look long enough. Any longer and I'm sure that first period would be halfway over with." Alex remarked as Eric walked into the kitchen. He grabbed his keys off the counter.

Eric awkwardly laughed. "Yeah... Sorry I was trying to find something to wear." He followed Alex out through the garage. 

"You're lucky it was me that came in your room and not mom." 

_Trust me. I know._

"Yeah. That would've been bad." As Eric got into the car, he tried to sneak a glance down the road. He didn't see Tom's car anywhere.

_I guess he already took off to school._

Eric strapped in his seat belt and stared out the window as Alex drove. After what had happened, it was silent. Although it wasn't the silence that Eric had with Tom. No, this was more of the uncomfortable nature. Eric drummed his fingers along his lap.

The bland walls of the school made Eric sick to his stomach as they rolled into view. Alex pulled up along the sidewalk; where a herd of people were meandering slowly into the front entrance. Alex parked and turned his head slightly in Eric's direction.

"Have a good day. If anyone gives you shit, tell me." Alex said as Eric hesitantly stepped onto the sidewalk.

"Okay."

_Nope._

Eric shut the door behind him and took a deep breath. The squeaky tires of Alex's car took off as he stared over at the door.

_You can do this. Don't show them you're scared. Act like you were here all week._

His first step towards the school was careful, filled with caution, like the pavement would give way and he would fall into the Earth. He flinched as his shoe made contact with with the sidewalk. 

_Nothing happened. You're fine._

Eric's pace became more relaxed as he drew closer to the door. Next to him were a pair of girls with their hair in ponytails and matching Starbucks cups. He looked at them out of his periphery. They were talking to each other, but he couldn't help but feel like their eyes were on him. 

_I hate being this paranoid. I wish I could shut my mind off for a little._

Eric pushed open the front door and tried to focus on the placement of his feet rather than his peers. So far, he was having minimal success. He couldn't help but sneak glances at the crowd bustling around in the hallway. One time he was glad he did, because a couple holding hands would've crashed into him otherwise. 

His locker still had the same mottled front. Eric dialed his combination and swung it wide open. All of his things were the same as he left them; thick textbooks in a pile and folders leaning against each other for support. Staring at his supplies made him realize he hadn't checked his schedule for the day and he had no idea what class he had first. 

_Chemistry? No, I never have that first. English? Spanish??_

Eric dug out his wrinkled schedule from his backpack and squinted. In the slot for the day, it said _Spanish_.

_Not a bad way to start my day back. I don't mind Spanish._

Eric closed his locker and turned around, this time having a clearer idea of where he was supposed to be. On his way to the Spanish classroom, there came a tug on his arm.

"Hey... I haven't seen you around for a bit. How have you been?"

Eric glanced over his shoulder. The redhead kid with acne had his hand around Eric's wrist. Eric shook his arm free and coughed. "I've been fine. How about yourself?"

The boy rocked back and forth on his heels. "I've been, er, okay. You haven't been in school for awhile. I heard a ton of different things about why you were out." He played with the straps of his backpack. 

Eric rolled his eyes. "Yeah? Like what? I killed myself? I was sacrificing people for my cult?" He had heard it all. No rumors shocked him anymore. After awhile, they all sounded the same. 

To his surprise, the kid shook his head. "No... Well... Maybe a couple of things like that. I think one of them was that you were out stealing bones. Anyways, most of them were about you and the popular kid. What's his name... Hmm... Terry? Tony? Tyler?"

Eric froze. Those kinds of rumors he actually _did_ care about. "Tom."

A look of clarity flashed across the kid's face. "Yeah! That's it. Tom." He rotated the watch around his skinny wrist.

"What did people say about us?" Eric asked, making sure his tone didn't come across as caring too much. He did, but he didn't want it to be known.

The kid looked up towards the ceiling. "Most of the rumors were that he was the reason you were out of school. People varied on what he did to make you be out of school for long, but it had the same core idea. He did something that made you not show up."

"Oh." Eric said, taking this in. He supposed it wasn't the worst thing that could spread about him and Tom. 

"There was one more, but it was mostly dismissed right away." The kid added, looking back over to Eric. "No one really believed it. It seemed too obviously fake."

"Really? What was it?"

"That you and Tom are dating." The kid gave a nasally laugh. "I know, you can see why it didn't last for long."

Eric swallowed hard. His palms started to sweat, leaving a damp spot on the pocket of his jeans. "Yeah, that's crazy." He forced a laugh, though it was nearly painful.

The kid was either too oblivious or not good at reading people, because he took Eric's less than decent attempt as truth. "Right? Could you imagine it? You and Tom? That would be something." 

"No, I can't imagine it." Eric said, fiddling with the cuffs on his flannel. His school day had been going for approximately ten minutes and already he was reminded of the stupid differences between him and Tom.

_It doesn't matter that Tom is a zillion times more popular than me. It doesn't matter that I'm a loser. Love doesn't stop at silly social standings. If only everyone else understood that, that would be great. But unfortunately, everyone here is too shallow to see passed that. It's a pity. Maybe if they did, I wouldn't have to hide my relationship like it was something shameful._

"I need to get to class. I'll see you around." Eric had no problem cutting the conversation off. Sure the kid didn't mean any harm, but it didn't erase Eric's bubbling irritation. 

Spanish class was much better than the start of his morning. Looking at verbs and conjugations was almost therapeutic. It gave Eric something to think about that wasn't his relationship. His teacher seemed pleased to see Eric. When she came around to his desk to check his work, she smiled at him warmly.

"All of this is right. I'm glad to see you back in class. It isn't the same without you."

Eric smiled back at her. "I'm glad to be back." 

After Spanish, the rest of the first half of his day was quite standard. The teachers all seemed much more excited to see Eric back than the students. They either gossiped about him right in front of him, gave him weird looks, or pretended he didn't exist. He preferred the third option.

Going through all of his morning classes after a week off exhausted Eric. By the time lunch arrived, he was practically slumped over in the sandwich on his tray. He yawned as he made himself eat the mediocre meal. As he ate, he glanced around the room. In the back of the lunch room was Tom and his group of friends. Most of them had their backs turned to Eric, but that didn't make the bile stop rising in his throat.

Eric set the sandwich down and looked back to his own tray. Seeing them on the sidewalk of school was one thing. But seeing them in the same room not too far from him was enough to make him sick to his stomach.

_Guess there goes eating._

Eric threw away his tray and stuffed his earbuds in his ears, hoping that hearing the chorus of one of his favorite songs would calm him down. He played _American Idiot_ so loud that the song drowned out all the surrounding sounds around him. The longer he listened, the more at ease he felt. 

The volume being cranked up made Eric almost miss the bell. Luckily, it went off at one of the more quiet parts in the song. Eric scrambled out of the cafeteria before Tom's crew spotted him.

Gym and History came after lunch. Gym was awful (as usual), and History was bearable. Eric still wasn't fully healed, so when he was hit in the game of dodge ball, there was more pain than when he had no bruises. In History, he took notes and listened to a lecture.

The last class of the day was Chemistry, also coincidentally the class he was most anticipating. He would finally get to see Tom. Though he couldn't be all over him, seeing him was a plus regardless. 

The Chemistry room was colder than Eric remembered. He wished he had worn more than a flannel when he walked through the entryway.

"Mr.Beckerman. You missed quite a bit." Mrs.Booth wasted no time in getting down to business. She handed Eric a pile of papers. "Right now we're doing a lab. Everyone already has partners but..." She glanced down at a sheet. "You can go work with Mr.Sanchez and Mr.Phelan. You'll be the only group of three." She scribbled Eric's name down near Brandon's and Tom's.

Eric glanced back to where Brandon and Tom were sitting. On the table were a bunch of delicate glass vials and beakers. Brandon held one carelessly in his hand and swirled it around. 

"Okay." Eric's stomach begun to hurt again the closer he came to Brandon. He held his breath and walked over to their table.

"Uh, Hi." Eric said. "I got assigned to work with you guys for the lab." 

Tom looked up first. His eyes settled on Eric, the expression on his face remaining neutral. With that look, Eric would've thought they hardly ever talked. 

_Damn, I wish I could be that discreet. My nervousness is easily readable all the time. ___

____

____

"Yeah? Well good. We have no idea what we're doing, do we?" Tom nudged Brandon, who hadn't looked over yet. 

"Mhmm yeah." Brandon said, utterly disinterested. He was more intent on messing with the little test tube with a clear liquid inside. The liquid came dangerously close to the lip of the tube. 

Eric glanced down at the work Mrs.Booth handed him. The packet on top was labeled 'Lab Protocol'.

"Did you guys read the instructions?" Eric asked as he flipped through the pages.

"Nope." Tom and Brandon said at the same time. 

_Yeah, I should've known that._

Eric read through the first page. "We have to guess the pH of different common stuff... Where is all the stuff? It says here we should have..." He glanced to the back of the room. Sitting on top of the counter was a plastic container. 

"And I'm guessing that's it." Eric walked over and brought the container back to the table. Inside, were various substances that ranged from lemon juice to bleach. 

"We should all pour these out into test tubes, making sure they're labeled so we know what they are." Eric sat down and grabbed the lemon juice. He poured it into a vial, making sure his hand was steady as he did so. Neither Brandon nor Tom made any effort to help.

Instead of helping, Tom had other ideas. While Eric was pouring vinegar into a test tube, he felt a hand grab his thigh. 

Eric let out a small squeak, blushing. He looked over to Tom, the test tube quivering in his hand. Tom winked, daring Eric to do anything about it. Brandon gave Eric a weird look.

"You good?" He asked, eyeing Eric with confusion.

Eric nodded rapidly, gulping. "Y-Yeah..." He poured the rest of the vinegar. His hand was so shaky that part of it splashed on the table. 

"Oh no, you spilled it," Tom commented casually, though his intense gaze said otherwise. His hand gripped Eric's thigh tighter. Eric bit his lip and wiped up the spill with a paper towel. 

"So the little tester will turn, uh, a color depending on what the, er, pH is." Eric stumbled his way through an explanation. He found it incredibly difficult to do while Tom messed with him. 

_He's doing it under the table so no one can see it too. He's so sneaky. I want him so bad and there's nothing I can do about it. All I can do is squirm in my chair and try to not moan._

Tom moved his hand to Eric's inner thigh and massaged it gently. Eric squeezed his legs together, unable to sit still. His mouth began to open, but he clamped it shut. 

"Why don't you test one, Brandon?" Tom called out, looking over to his friend. 

Brandon shrugged. He took one of the test strips and stuck it in the tube filled with baking soda. 

Eric glanced over to Tom desperately, but Tom didn't look at him. He kept his gaze ahead, as if he wasn't completely teasing Eric. 

"It's purple," Brandon observed, writing on his sheet. "What's that mean?"

"It's pH is around 9," Eric breathlessly said, wriggling around. Tom hadn't let up and he was not handling it well.

"We have to start clean up early today. Prepare to in a few minutes." Mrs.Booth said from her desk. 

_Thank god. Only a few more minutes of being teased by Tom._

As Eric went to place a new strip in the lemon juice test tube, Tom moved to Eric's other thigh. He almost dropped the strip, but recovered and held it tightly between his thumb and index finger. Tom alternated between gentle, almost feathery touches, and rough squeezing. He wasn't sure which one was harder to withstand. Both had him using all of his willpower not to climb into Tom's lap and kiss him. 

Eric was glad when Mrs.Booth let everyone know it was time to clean. Tom took his hand away, giving Eric a hungry smirk before going over to one of the many sinks to rinse out the test tubes. 

As hard as it was being teased, Eric didn't like that Tom had stopped touching him. He felt surprisingly empty. 

"That was a fun little experiment, wasn't it?" Tom whispered in Eric's ear after setting the clean test tubes back in the container. Brandon was still by them, but Tom had leaned over in a manner that if Brandon happened to look, it could've easily been perceived as an accidental brushing against each other.

"You're so mean," Eric whined, looking up at Tom with a needy look in his eyes. Tom smiled.

"I have no idea what could make you think that. I didn't do anything." 

"I'll get you back for this, I swear." Eric hissed, reaching under the table. Tom shifted, making Eric hit his hand on the underside of the table.

"Really?" He chuckled. The bell rang loudly.

"We'll have to see about that." As Tom stood up, he secretly ran his finger across Eric's chest.

"We going to Tori's today?" Brandon asked, glancing over at Tom. 

"Yep. I think so." He winked one more time at Eric before joining up with Brandon and walking out of class. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So uhhhh yeah this chapter was supposed to just be a nice transition chapter for Eric going back to school and somehow I end up putting some... uh... //sensual// content. I'm so sorry jdcdsyicsdky I really like Tom teasing Eric, especially like this in public where Eric can't say anything. Anyways uhhhh next time we get into one of the final chapters, so get ready:)


	23. Insistence

The next couple of months were normal- well, as normal as they could be while having a secret relationship. Eric and Tom continued to sneak around to see each other without Eric's mom finding out. They were so good at it that it became routine; like clockwork. As well as it was going, sometimes Eric thought back to his dream where everyone knew about the two of them. He would never tell Tom, but he secretly wished that he could be open with him and not have to worry about who saw.

"I'm not going," Eric insisted, taking a sip of his soda through the straw that had bite marks from his nervous nibbling. He and Tom were at a lesser known restaurant in town. The only public ventures they had were at night or at places that kids their age wouldn't go. Tom gave him a pleading look from across the table.

"You can't miss it. It's an important High School moment!" He took a fry from the basket in the middle of the table and coated it in ketchup. "Cmonnnn. I'll be there."

"But we won't be going together." Eric sighed, swirling the soda around in the glass. "What's the point in going if I won't even be with you?" He glanced over at the walls lined with vintage photographs. A picture of two young boys playing at the beach in black and white was the first one that caught his eye. 

"We'll still get to see each other. It's not like I have to be by friends the entire night." Tom ate another fry. "Don't lie, I know you want to see me in a tux."

The thought of Tom being dressed up floated across his mind.

_He looks good on a daily basis in normal clothes. In something formal like that I'm pretty sure I would have to pick my jaw up off the floor._

"That's beside the point." Eric waved away the thought, blushing. "I've always planned on not going ever since I first heard about it." Which was true. He tried to stay away from school events as if they were contagious diseases. Anymore time with the people that made his life unpleasant was not looked positively on by him. "It's for the best. You should enjoy the night with your friends."

"I won't enjoy it if you aren't there." Tom frowned. "I want you to be there. I know it's not your thing, but you could actually end up having fun."

"You're pretty persistent," Eric commented, tapping his fingers on the table. When Tom wanted something, he rarely let it go. "I'm not sure why. The night won't be any different regardless of if I show up or not." 

"It will be different to me. I told you, I want to see you. I think you'll look handsome all dressed up in something other than band shirts and flannels." Tom said with a laugh. 

Eric crossed his arms. "What's the problem with my band shirts and flannels? I think they're fine," He grumbled. Tom laughed again and took a bite of his burger.

"They are fine. But I've never seen you all fancy ever. It would be interesting." He swallowed the meat he had chewed off. "Mhmmm you gotta try this. It's so good."

Eric grabbed Tom's cheeseburger in his hands and took his suggestion. "You're right. We should come here more often."

"Since I diiiid let you try my food, maybe reconsider?" Tom grinned, ketchup staining his mouth. Eric took a napkin and leaned across the table. He wiped the ketchup off Tom's mouth and rolled his eyes.

"I don't know."

"Well, think about it." Tom gave Eric's hand a squeeze before leaving the booth.

*****

"Who's side are you on here?" Eric asked with a groan. He was perched on top of the swivel chair in Alex's room watching him play on his PlayStation. His fingers tapped wildly across the controller.

"Tom's. You should go." Alex responded, not looking up from the screen. 

"But," Eric protested. "You never went to your prom." 

"Yeah, that's true. But I also wasn't being asked by my boyfriend to go." Alex jammed down on the x button. 

"That's because you're straight." Eric laughed, hitting him on the shoulder. "I don't know, it just seems pointless. Plus I have no money for a suit even if I _did_ want to go."

"If that's the problem, I'll pay for you to get one." Alex offered, shooting someone in the game. "Though I know that's an excuse."

"Is not." Eric stuck his tongue out. He paused for a moment. "Okay maybe it is."

"Fuck!" Alex yelled, throwing the controller down. "I didn't see him there." The replay echoed back on the TV. Alex looked over at Eric. "Anyways, let's go find something for you to wear."

"Woah woah woahhhh I never agreed to that." Eric waved his hands. "You don't have the kind of money to spare on a suit." 

"I think I can splurge a little on this. It's your prom. It only happens once." Alex turned the screen off and tucked the controller away. "We're going now before you can come up with another excuse." 

Eric groaned. "Fineeee." He grabbed his phone and typed to Tom.

(3:03 PM): _You can thank Alex._

(3:05 PM): For what?

(3:06 PM): _I reconsidered._

(3:08 PM): Are you pranking me?

Eric snapped a picture of himself with a serious expression.

(3:10 PM): _You tell me._

(3:11 PM): Tell Alex I say thanks :)

*****

Eric and Alex walked into the mall with an objective: find Eric a suit that wasn't too expensive, but would impress Tom at the same time. Another more hidden objective for Eric was to make sure anyone from school didn't see him. He didn't need any questions about why he was looking at tuxedos.

"Where should we start?" Eric glanced around at the variety of stores. The entrance they had walked through let out near a Claire's, a Victoria's Secret, and a Bath & Body Works. It would've been great if Eric was looking for earrings that kids in elementary school had as a fashion staple, lingerie, or cheap perfume that always made him have a headache, but luckily that wasn't the case. 

"I know of a couple places." Alex walked off passed the Claire's. Eric looked inside through the clear glass walls. A little girl with her brown hair in pigtails sat on a raised chair crying as one of the workers held an ear piercing gun up to her ear.

_I remember getting my own ears pierced. I wasn't that young though. Poor girl probably has no idea what's going on. ___

The first store that Alex brought Eric to didn't stand a chance with the cheapest suit priced at $2,000. 

"Sorry, didn't read the name. My bad," Alex apologized. As they left almost immediately, Eric looked up at the name of the store. Gucci.

After that bust, Alex took Eric to a cheaper store. While the pricing was much better, the suits suffered as a result. Eric held up the sleeve of a neon green and pink suit with flamingos and showed it to Alex.

"A winner. You should get it," Alex joked, stifling a laugh.

"Yeah, maybe if this was the 80s." Eric dropped the sleeve in disgust. "Next store." 

Before Eric knew it, he was being led into a store with creepy blank-faced mannequins dressed in pristine suits. The store was fairly empty; only a few teenage guys with bored stares. Eric didn't recognize any of them. Letting out a small sigh of relief, he followed to Alex over the section of black suits.

"Hello! Can I help you gentlemen out?" A man with short light gray hair and a pair of thick framed glasses waltzed over to Alex and Eric. Eric glanced down at his silver plated name tag which read 'Paul'. 

"We're trying to find a suit for prom for Eric here." Alex clapped Eric on the shoulders. "He's never worn a suit before."

"Alexxxx." Eric groaned, covering his face to hide the embarrassed flush that spread across his cheeks. 

Paul laughed. "It's okay. We'll find a good suit for you, Eric. Don't feel bad. Most men that wear suits now still don't wear the proper size, which is worse." He rubbed the patch of gray facial hair on his chin."Anything you're looking for in particular?"

"Uh," Eric stammered. "Something... black?" Most of the suits he saw in any form of media or in person were that color. For this, he didn't want to appear too unconventional. The act of wearing a suit itself was out there for Eric.

"Well, we definitely don't have a shortage of those." Paul took out a coiled tape measure from his blazer pocket. "I'll get you a dressing room and take your measurements there. Follow me." He swiftly moved passed the group of teenagers to the back of the store.

Eric and Alex walked behind him to the row of fitting rooms. All of the curtains of the rooms were pushed aside besides the second in the lineup. The yellow curtain hung down to the ground, fully extended. 

"How you doing in there, Jason?" Paul called out. He motioned to Eric to choose a room.

All of them looked identical to Eric. He settled on the farthest one.

"Uh good. I think this one might be my favorite so far." A squeaky voice came from the one filled dressing room. 

"Good, good." Paul walked over to Eric and began taking his measurements. Eric had no idea all of this went into something as simple as a suit. The tape measure traveled all over his body. Paul muttered under his breath as he did so. 

"Black, right?" 

"Yeah." The tape measure wrapped around his arm. Paul said something Eric couldn't distinguish and took away the tape measure, walking off. Eric had no choice but to wait around for Paul to get back. Alex glanced at Eric from the sitting area.

"It's gonna be weird to see you in a suit."

Eric groaned. "Don't need to tell me twice. I'm gonna look so out of place." He held onto the sleeve of his flannel defensively. 

"Never said it was gonna be a bad thing." Alex said, kicking his foot along the ground. "Just weird. Maybe you'll even end up looking good."

"Alexxxx." Eric whined for the second time in the store. "No embarrassing me."

"If I didn't embarrass you, I wouldn't being doing my job." Alex replied with a grin. 

"To start you off, I picked out 3 different suits. For your dress shirt, I stayed with white since you seem to want traditional." Eric followed after Paul, eyeing the suits curiously. Paul hung the three black suits inside the dressing room. "What color would you like for your vest? And would you like a bow tie or a regular tie?"

"Uh," Eric stammered, some of the pressure setting in. Truth be told, he had no clue. "I'll get back to you on that." 

_Am I supposed to match with Tom? Usually couples do I think... But we aren't going as a couple so I don't know... I'll ask him. ___

____

____

"Alright, you get changed into the first one. Walk out and show us when you're ready." Paul closed the curtain, saving Eric some effort. His steps clacked on the hardwood floor as he moved away. 

Eric tugged his phone out of his pocket and quickly texted. He was in such a rush that he had to erase the message several times due to misspellings. 

(4:30 PM): _So Tom, I have an important question that needs an answer ASAP._

While waiting for Tom to reply, Eric wiggled out of his clothes. He set them in a pile in the corner of the dressing room. He stared at the nearly identical suits, intimidated.

_Which do I try first? I guess it doesn't really matter. I'll eventually be in all of them._

He grabbed the first suit; the lightest of the bunch. While it was black, it could've easily been gray at the right angle. Eric started with the pants. The measuring that Paul had done must've been accurate, because the waistband was snug around his lower half.

_Buzz._

Though Eric wasn't fully dressed, he read his phone anyways. 

(4:34 PM): Important you say?

(4:35 PM): _Yeah. Should I match you, or should we wear different color vests and ties?_

(4:36 PM): Name a color

(4:37 PM): _Uhhhh maroon._

(4:38 PM): Maroon it is ;)

"Eric? You ready to show us?" Alex asked, his voice carrying from where he was sitting.

"Uh one second." Eric tossed his phone down in the pile of clothes, blushing. 

_Tom wants us to be wearing the same colors. Sure we aren't going together, but that's still a big deal._

Eric fumbled to get on his dress shirt and blazer. The buttons on his dress shirt took some effort to push through the slits along the middle. By the time he finally did it, his fingers were sore. He walked out of the curtained room with his shirt not tucked in.

Alex laughed as soon as Eric rounded the corner and paused in front of him and Paul. "I think you need a little help there." 

Paul stood up and immediately began making adjustments to Eric. He slid the sleeves so they rested tastefully underneath the blazer, tucked the bottom of the shirt into the suit pants, and fixed the messy collar. "That's better. How do you like it?"

Eric tilted his head and examined himself in the mirror. Seeing his reflection was like seeing a different person; it took him a second to register that who was standing across from him was really him. He played with the cuff of the jacket. 

"It's...fine? I think." Eric wasn't blown away, but the suit did make him do a double take. It was a start. "I guess I'll go try on the next one."

The next suit was black with accents of white. Putting this one on wasn't as hard as the first, but it still caused a struggle. Eric walked out of the dressing room with a bit more confidence, his steps lighter. Paul only had to make a few alterations, nodding as he looked over the suit.

"What about this one?"

"It's good." Eric looked in the mirror. "Yeah, good."

"Just good?" Alex said, following Eric's gaze. "Nahhh, it needs to be better than good. Go try on the last one." 

Alex dismissed it before he could barely take in all of the details. As much as Eric didn't want to admit it, his brother knew him well. He could tell when Eric was just okay with something versus being ecstatic. This was one of those occurrences. 

The last lone suit hung, pants trailing on the ground. Eric stripped out of the black and white suit and cast it aside. He pulled on the pants first. They fit him as well as the first suit had, being tight but not to the point he was suffocating. The dress shirt and the blazer were the same way.

"Wow look at you." Alex whistled as Eric came over to them. "Almost as good looking as me. Almost." 

Eric looked into the mirror with widened eyes. The suit was a classy, solid, black. His body didn't seem as scrawny and awkward as it usually was. If the first suit made him do a double take, this one made him do a quadruple take. 

"The all black is very in right now." Paul said with a satisfied glance. "Do you like it?"

Eric nodded, a small smile breaking out on his face. "I do. I hope it's not too much." 

"Who's going to be paying?" Paul looked from Eric to Alex. 

"That would be me." Alex pulled out his wallet and waved it in the air.

"Then don't worry about it. What you need to be worried about now is the color for your vest and what type of tie." Paul smiled.

"Maroon and a normal one." Eric said, this time having an answer ready. 

"I'll go get some for you to try on. Whoever your date is will be very happy." Paul winked, walking away from the dressing rooms. 

With his suit figured out, Eric was beginning to be excited about prom. Sure, he wouldn't be technically with Tom, but he couldn't wait to see the look on his face when he walked out in it. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow sorry! I've been trying to get this chapter up for days now, but Eric streamed so much this week and I was not doing the best so writing was a struggle. I'm glad I finally finished with a chapter that I'm semi okay with:) This is the second to last chapter and I'm emotional about it. I hope you liked this chapter and it wasn't too bad. I really liked the Alex and Eric interactions, their dynamic is always really fun to write.


	24. When You're Ready

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is named after When You're Ready by Shawn Mendes. To get the full effect, I recommend listening to it (especially near the end) Happy reading!

Eric couldn't go anywhere in school without seeing a poster advertising for prom posted up on the walls. As the date of the event neared, the photocopies seemed to multiply exponentially. Not only were there infinite posters, but every conversation was centered around the big night. 

"I can't wait for Larsen to see my dress. I got it on sale for $500 and it's sooooo cute! It's dark green with sequins and-" Sarah droned on to Ava as the pair sat together in Chemistry. Eric was bored by the lecture so he decided to tune in. They had talked about prom for what seemed like weeks. "-the bottom flares out. Ooh let me show you a picture." She scrolled on her phone through her selfie filled camera roll until she paused on a green dress. "Look, look." 

"Awe it's so cute. Def worth the $500," Ava squealed, head turned towards the phone. "I still haven't found my dress yet." 

"Ava Marie Desmond!" Sarah gasped, her phone clattering onto the table. "Prom is in a week and you _don't_ have a dress?!"

"Ugh, no." Ava groaned, covering her face. "I know it's like, a sin, but I don't know. I haven't found a good one yet." 

"After school today we're going. End of story." Sarah picked her phone that was face down and typed furiously. "What color is your date wearing?"

"About that," Ava nervously said, her tone faltering. "I _may_ not have a date either."

"Oh my GOD. You're lucky I'm your friend. We're getting you a date today too. Who do you want to go with?" Sarah snapped the fruity gum in her mouth. 

Ava glanced across the room. "Well..." 

Eric followed her gaze. She was staring over at Tom and Brandon, who were whispering to each other.

_I hope she means Brandon and not Tom. I really hope so._

"Brandon?" Sarah asked, looking over. "I mean, he's a good choice. He's pretty popular and-"

"No! Not him." Ava cut her off, rolling her eyes. "Him." Her manicured nail pointed in a subtle manner, so much so that Eric almost missed it. At the end of her nail was Tom and his goofy grin. Eric gritted his teeth and the pencil gripped in between his fingers cracked.

_Oops._

"Tom?" Sarah said, hushed. "Ooh yes! I like how you think. But didn't he never text you back?"

A small smirk formed on Eric's lips.

_He was busy texting me. Better luck next time._

"That... doesn't matter. I'm sure he was just busy." Ava shrugged. "I want to ask him but I don't know the best time." She kept staring over at him. Tom was oblivious to the whole ordeal, laughing at something Brandon said. "He should be asking me anyways. The guy always asks the girl."

_Oh so she's delusional. She thinks Tom likes her? Hah. I wish I could tell her about what happens when we're outside of school. Although with how delusional she is, she wouldn't believe it even if we kissed in front of her._

"You don't have time to wait for that shit. You gotta get on it." Sarah unwrapped another piece of gum and chewed. "I say do it during passing time. Maybe while he's away from his friends for a second." 

"Yeah? How often does that happen?" Ava sighed, frowning. "Whatever, I guess you're right."

_I have to see this go down._

When class ended, Eric followed behind Ava and Sarah despite his next class being in a completely different wing than where they were headed. He kept his head down, trying to blend in with everyone around him as best as possible. 

"There he is. He's actually alone right now, it's a sign!" Ava exclaimed, clutching her textbook to her chest. "Stay here while I go over." Eric hung back while Ava walked through the crowd over to Tom. Tom was leaning against the row of lockers typing on his phone.

"Hi." Ava smiled bashfully, batting her lashes. "How are you doing today?"

"Hm? Oh, I'm doing fine." Tom looked up from his phone. "How about you?"

"Gooood." Ava purred, letting her arm 'accidentally' brush against Tom. "So prom is coming up."

"Is it? I had no idea." Tom sarcastically joked, looking at one the posters on the wall. "What's prom? Never heard of it in my life."

Eric laughed from across the hall. He loved Tom's dry sense of humor. Unlike him, Ava didn't seem to get the joke.

"Really? It's coming up. It's a pretty big deal." She bit her lip, moving closer to Tom. "I was wondering if you would like to go with me."

As annoyed as it was to hear someone ask out his boyfriend, Eric had to give her credit where it was due. She was bold, no doubt about that. Even after him and Tom were serious, he still got nervous initiating anything.

Eric could tell Tom was caught off guard. His expression before had been nonchalant at best. Now, his eyebrows were arched and he stood up straighter. "That's sweet, but I already have a date. Sorry."

_Wait. A date? Does he mean me? Someone else? Is he lying to get her to leave?_

Thoughts raced through Eric's mind. He was so busy contemplating the implication of Tom's statement that he almost missed the look of disappointment on Ava's face that she tried to hide. 

"Oh... Okay." She gave a sad smile before briskly walking back to Sarah.

"How did it go?" Sarah asked, tapping her fingers together excitedly. Ava shook her head.

"I'm still dateless." Her shoulders sagged. Sarah gave her a sympathetic look and hugged her. "Awe I'm sorry. We'll go find you another date. There are plenty of guys that would kill to go with you." She took Ava's hand in her own and dragged her off towards the Cafeteria.

The bell rang loudly. The busy hallway began to disperse, thinning out. Eric let out a groan. He had been so intent on seeing what went on with Ava, the time slipped his mind.

_Shit. I'm gonna be late to History._

Eric moved from the spot he had been stagnant in for a good couple of minutes and headed down towards Mr.Horton's classroom. 

A week turned into a couple days and a couple days turned into one. Teachers dreaded this day most out of the entire year. Students were impossible to keep on track. By the end of the day, Eric counted the word 'prom' being said a total of 82 times.

He couldn't say he was as excited as his fellow peers. Yes, he did want to see Tom, but that was overshadowed by a greater sense of fear. He wasn't sure what prom even entailed. In the hours leading up to the event, Eric took to the internet to research anything he could.

_I should look for some prom movies. Those could be helpful._

Eric surfed through titles on Netflix. Most of them had similar cover images; girls in fancy yet tacky dresses and imagery of crowns, hot jocks, and high heels. His cursor hovered over one called 'Nerd Takeover'.

_Am I really gonna do this? Am I really gonna watch one of these stupid teen movies I've always been revolted by?_

Eric clicked play.

The movie was as Eric expected. There were two nerdy girls who wanted to go to prom, but knew it wasn't realistic as they both weren't very popular. There was a bullying incident where Joel, one of the jocks, publicly humiliated them in front of the whole school. He read out their twitter posts about wanting to go to prom, mocking them for thinking they had a chance of getting dates.

After the bullying, the friends met up at one of their houses. The brunette with the frizzy hair, Jessica, flopped over on her friend Monica's bed.

"Prom is so gross. I have no idea why we wanted to go in the first place. It's filled with bratty girls in overpriced dresses and asshole guys thinking they're hot shit." She rolled her eyes.

"You're right. That's why I want us to go." 

"Are you crazy? So we can get mocked again? Yeah, no thanks." Jessica shook her head. "I'd rather die." 

"Noooo. Okay, listen. I'm with you here. I don't want to be by those kids anymore than you. That's why we should go and _ruin_ their prom." Monica suggested, flicking her black hair out of her face. "Imagine that. No one would expect that."

"Hmmmm," Jessica considered this. "Not a bad idea. I'd be down for finally taking something away from them." 

"Eric?" Alex knocked on Eric's door, turning the knob and peering into the room. "What are you doing?"

Eric looked up from his movie. "Uhhhh." He was about to close the laptop, but Alex was too fast. He looked down at the scene of the two girls in the bedroom. 

"Prom is soon and you're watching movies?" Alex said in disbelief. 

"Movies about prom." Eric clarified, shutting the laptop. "I guess I should get ready. I don't know, I'm nervous. I thought watching movies would help." He bit his nails, looking away from Alex.

"Why?" Alex sat down on the edge of Eric's bed. "You have your suit picked out and everything."

"I know I know," Eric nervously rambled. "It's not about the suit. It's about-"

"Tom." Alex finished the sentence for Eric. Eric nodded.

"Yeah. I don't know why I'm so nervous. I shouldn't be. I see Tom every day in school." 

"You also get nervous then though, don't you?"

Eric sighed. "Yeah. You're right." He stared at one of his movie posters. "But that usually is only in school. I'm much less nervous when it's just us."

"Of course," Alex agreed. "You don't have to hide the fact you're with him when it's just you two together. Prom is a school event, so that's where the nerves come from."

_Alex knows more than he lets on sometimes I swear._

"But don't quote me on that. Maybe you just ate some stale food for lunch." Alex added with a laugh. "You should get ready. I'm taking you to the venue, right?"

"Yeah, if you don't mind." Eric glanced over at the suit in his closet. It was wrapped in a sheet of plastic, protecting it from his other clothes. 

"Sounds good." Alex gave him a thumbs up as he stood and walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him. Now that he was alone again, he had no choice.

_Time to get ready._

Since purchasing the suit from Paul's store, Eric had ironed it. Not a single wrinkle creased the black fabric. Eric took his time putting the suit on. He didn't want to create any wrinkles or mess of the neat state it was in.

At first, the suit rested stiffly against Eric's body. It took Eric some getting used to. He only had worn a suit for a couple of minutes when he was trying them on in the store and his body wasn't adjusted yet. His normal clothes were much less constricting.

_Buzz._

Eric's phone vibrated on his desk. He walked over, picking it up. Tom had sent him a text.

(5:05 PM): I want to see you in your suit:) Send a pic

Eric giggled, typing back right away.

(5:06 PM): _I don't think so. Unless I get to see one of you in yours._

(5:07 PM): That would ruin the surprise! I can't do that

(5:08 PM): _Then no picture for you. You'll just have to wait;)_

At the last second, Eric decided to include the winky face. 

_Fuck it. If Ava can ask him out, I can send him a wink emoticon._

(5:09 PM): Ahhh such as tease

(5:10 PM): _Gotta get payback somehow. See you soon._

Eric set his phone back onto his desk and grabbed the maroon tie. Everything else was done. He had on his pants, dress shirt, blazer, and vest. Only the tie remained. He wrapped it around his neck and paused. 

_I just realized I have no idea how to tie a tie. This is unfortunate._

The last time he glanced at the clock on his phone, it was around 5. He had no time to be embarrassed.

"Alex!" Eric stuck his head out of his room. "I need help."

"You? Needing help from me? An interesting turn of events." Alex bounded up the stairs. "With what?" 

"This." Eric looked down at the limp tie. "Help."

Alex laughed and walked over to the mirror. "Get over here."

Eric stood in front of the mirror and watched Alex's fingers work. He had no idea what he was doing or how, but he was intrigued nonetheless.

"Stop fidgeting. Stay still." Alex said, pulling on the tie tightly. Eric tried his best.

"Sorry, nerves." 

Within a minute, Alex had the tie in such a perfect form, it resembled a cartoon drawing of one. He tucked it into Eric's shirt, making sure it laid flat. "There you go."

"Thanks. I didn't know you knew how to tie a tie." Eric said, looking in the mirror. 

"Neither did I. It's been years since the last time I did." Alex swatted Eric's poof of hair. "You need to brush your hair and then I think you're all good."

"That's going to be a challenge." Eric exhaled, knocking Alex's hand away. While he had showered when he got home, it was still tough to deal with. He walked out of his room to the bathroom. For a good ten minutes he brushed his hair. At the end of his brushing, his curls were neatly tamed. 

"I think mom is going to want some pictures before we go." Alex said as Eric came back to his room. "Prepare for them when we go downstairs."

Eric groaned, lacing his feet up into his dressy shoes. It was quite the change from his combat boots and Converse. "Do we have to do pictures?"

"None of her other children ever went to prom. I don't think you'll win this one." Alex patted Eric on the back. "Best to get them over with now."

"I guess." Eric stood up. Walking down the stairs wasn't as easy as it was barefoot. The dress shoes kept his toes pushed close together. If he didn't have the rail to grab onto, he would've slipped.

"Oh my god honey!" Eric's Mom's shrill voice called out as he reached the bottom of the stairs. She had her hands clasped over her mouth and a gentle stream of tears rolling down her cheek. "You look so handsome!" 

"Who's handsome?" Scott, Shaun, and Daniel all sauntered into the room, their jeering tone prefacing their arrival. Eric turned his head, but it was too late. He wasn't sure who burst into laughter first. All of their laughs together sounded like a band of rabid hyenas.

"Would'ya look at that? Eric in a suit! What is the world coming to?" Daniel said, clutching his chest. 

"Who talked you into this one?" Shaun covered his mouth.

"I think he's getting ready for an evening church service." Scott pointed out, making the other two laugh even louder. 

Their Mom shooed them away. "Oh stop it. He looks handsome!" She turned back to Eric with a bright smile. "Let me grab my phone for pictures." She squeezed his arm before disappearing into the kitchen. With her gone, the brothers were only fueled to keep going.

"Who's the lucky lady little Eric?" Shaun cackled, poking Eric's tie. "Cmonnnn, you can tell us."

Eric swatted him away. "I have no idea what you're talking about." While there was no lady, there was, however, a very handsome boy. "And don't call me that."

Who's your date?" Scott said, a Cheshire-like grin spreading across his face. "Surely you aren't going alone."

"Maybe I am." Eric retaliated, crossing his arms. "You think anyone would want to take a 'church boy'?"

The nickname sent another fit of laughter over the boys. "You never know. Sometimes people are desperate." Scott said as their mom returned, phone in hand. 

"Picture time!" 

Eric followed her into the family room. Unfortunately, all of his brothers came with him. Alex was the only one minding his own business. While their Mom snapped photos, they all made silly faces and inappropriate motions to get him to crack. He rolled his eyes in between shots.

"Okay just one more-"

"Mom, I need to get going. We've been taking pictures for ten minutes now." Eric urged. 

"He's right. I think we have enough pictures." Alex seconded, pulling on Eric's arm. "At this rate, he'll be late."

"Oh no. We wouldn't want that." She lowered her phone and hugged Eric bone crushingly tight before letting him go. "Have fun and stay safe!" 

"I will." Eric walked with Alex out of the house. The sky had started fading from it's bright aqua to a muted pastel. Being out of the house free from taunts was refreshing. Eric breathed in the crisp air, letting it fill his lungs.

"Thanks for getting me out of there."

Alex unlocked the car. "No problem." He sat in the driver's seat. "To prom we go."

*****

Outside of the venue, girls in every shade of the rainbow swarmed. Most of the tuxes Eric saw were black, with few exceptions of gray, navy blue, and even red.

_I wonder what color tux Tom has on._

Butterflies flapped in Eric's stomach as he thought about it. Knowing that Tom was somewhere among the crowd was enough to make him weak in the knees. He was glad he was sitting down. No more antagonizing about what Prom would be like. Prom was there and he had no choice but go find out for himself. 

"Text me when you want to be picked up." Alex temporarily put the car in park. "Now go have a good night. You deserve it." 

Eric opened the door. "Thank you. You deserve to have a good night too." The brothers shared a warm smile before Eric stepped out of the car.

Not being in the car anymore meant Eric was vulnerable. He carefully walked through the crowd, careful not to step on any dress trains. The front of the venue thankfully wasn't too far from where Alex had parked. 

"Ticket?" 

Eric handed over his prom ticket to the teacher standing guard at the entrance. She skimmed it over as if he could've possibly forged a copy of a real one.

"Looks good. Enjoy your prom." She stepped aside. 

The first thing Eric noticed about the inside of the venue was that it was dim. Unlike the almost neon lights that terrorized the hallways in school, the lights here were much more subtle. The distant thrumming of some Top 40 song greeted Eric's ears as he walked into where most everyone was gathered at the moment. The dance floor was empty. Around the aforementioned dance floor was a collection of round tables with place settings.

_Tables? Why are there tables? Oh, right. We eat first before we dance. Stupid. I should've remembered this from the movie._

With the prospect of dinner, Eric's already bad nerves worsened. He had no idea where he was going to sit. It was like the cafeteria except this time he was dressed in an expensive suit. 

_No one is really at the tables right now. Maybe if I pick one, everyone will just avoid it like they do in school._

Eric scoured the room for a table. Most of the ones that appealed to him were in the corners of the room. Once he chose a corner table, he walked over in a direct line. He sat down, pulling out his phone. No new texts from Tom. Feeling antsy, he sent one himself.

(6:40 PM): _I hope you're here. I'm dying to see you._

Tom's reply didn't come for a couple of minutes. Eric smiled as he looked down at his screen.

(6:45 PM): I am. I want to see you too:) I need to see that suit you were teasing me about

(6:46 PM): _I'll come to you. Where do you want to meet?_

(6:48 PM): Out back. Go behind the building

_Behind the building? How inconspicuous. ___

____

____

Eric abandoned his table. As much as he didn't want to leave the safety of his table away from everyone, the need to see Tom was greater. He pushed passed a couple wearing matching green accessories and walked out through the back door. It took some searching, but he finally found it near the bathrooms.

Eric surveyed the back of the building. He sure saw enough wide field and grass, but no Tom. His first instinct was to call out for him.

_You can't do that. Someone will hear you._

(6:53 PM): _I'm here._

Eric's heart pounded out of his suit clad chest. It was so quiet where he stood that he could hear voices from around the front of the building. Waiting for Tom to show up was nerve wracking.

_Buzz._

(6:55 PM): Turn around

Eric inhaled sharply. He spun around, not sure what to expect. Anything his mind could've come up with wouldn't have compared to how amazing Tom really looked.

Tom's suit was jet black, like Eric's. It was tailored to fit his exact proportions. Not a single thing was out of place from his starched white dress shirt to his shiny black shoes digging into the dirt. Around Tom's neck was a maroon bow tie. Pinned up near the top of the suit jacket was a white boutonniere.

Eric couldn't speak. He tried to say something, but the words died in his throat. His face flushed as red as his tie as he stared, his mouth agape.

"Cat got your tongue?" Tom winked, looking into Eric's eyes. 

"N-No... Just you." Eric said breathlessly, meeting Tom's gaze. "You look..." He racked his brain for an adequate adjective to fully explain how truly stunning he thought Tom was in this moment. "I don't think the English language has come up with a word that can describe it." 

Tom chuckled. "Really?" A fair blush rose to his cheeks as well. "I think you look pretty amazing tonight yourself. Red is a good color on you. I see you painted your nails to match."

Eric glanced down at his maroon nails with a shy smile. "I did. I'm surprised you noticed."

"I notice everything about you, Beckerman." Tom pulled Eric by his tie, bringing his face only inches away from his own. Eric saw him look down at his lips before looking into his eyes again. "Every last detail."

Before Eric could stutter out another messy phrase, Tom pressed his lips to Eric's. They fell into a kiss. Eric closed his eyes in sweet bliss. Tom had that effect on him. With just one kiss, he felt right at home.

"Wait here. I have something for you." Tom pulled away, grinning. He ran off, the bottom of his suit coat flipping up behind him. Eric had no problem waiting. If Tom asked him to wait a century, he would've gladly. 

"No peeking," Tom warned, keeping his arms behind his back. Eric looked at him strangely. 

_What could Tom have for me? Hmmmm..._

"Alright." Eric closed his eyes. He had no idea what Tom was doing, but he tried to go off what his ears were picking up. All he heard was faint rustling, nothing distinguishable.

"You can open your eyes now." 

The sky slowly came back into view. Tom had a white flower boutonniere laying in the palm of his hand. He picked it up and moved closer to Eric.

"Stay still. I don't want to hurt you." Tom slid the pin through the fabric of the jacket, clasping it once it went all the way through. "There. Now we match."

Eric glanced down at the new addition to his blazer. It indeed did resemble the one that was pinned to Tom's jacket. He smiled so wide that his mouth hurt.

"Thank you, it's beautiful." He touched the boutonniere lightly. The petals of the flowers were silky. He was going to compliment Tom again when a loud ring pierced the air.

Tom grabbed his phone out of his pocket. The screen glowed brightly; even more apparent against the darkening sky. 

"Who is it?" Eric asked, trying to get a good look at the phone. Despite his attempts, he couldn't read anything. Tom typed something quickly.

"Brandon. He wants to know where I am." Tom sighed, looking sadly at Eric. "I don't want to leave you right now."

"It's okay, I understand. If you were gone for too long, they might get suspicious." Eric took Tom's hand in his own. "Go. We can see each other again later."

Tom leaned down and kissed Eric gently on the hand. His lips tickled Eric, making him giggle. 

"You're the best." Tom said before walking through the back door. Eric watched Tom leave, a smile imprinted on his face. He waited a couple of seconds, giving Tom enough time to be far away from the back of the building.

When Eric went back inside, it was time to eat. Luckily, the table he had chosen earlier only had one person seated there. Eric pushed passed the giant mass of people heading for their tables and sat down beside the newcomer. 

"Is it okay if I sit here?" 

"Yeah. I'm not saving these seats for anyone else." The girl replied with a laugh. "What's your name? Oh wait... I think I've seen you around."

Eric played with the ribbon around the bundled silverware in the napkin at his place setting. "Probably when someone was tripping me."

"Eric Beckerman. I think we have English class together." The girl brushed away the blonde hair that was falling in her eyes. "Yeah, you always have good things to say."

Eric blushed at the praise. "Someone pays attention in English? I'm shocked." 

"It is shocking. Poor Mrs.Sweeney. She couldn't pay people to focus." The girl extended her hand forwards. "Cassidy Brown. Nice to meet you."

_Brown... I've heard that last name before..._

"By any chance, are you related to Beau Brown?" Eric warily asked, looking over to where Beau was shoving a kid playfully. Cassidy looked appalled. 

"I've gotten that one before, but no. We just happen to have the same last name."

_Whew. That's a relief._

Eric was more at ease and shook her hand. "Good. I'm Eric Beckerman, but you already knew that." He looked over her outfit. She was wearing a fitted turquoise dress with an amount of sequins that he couldn't count. "Nice dress."

Cassidy waved away the compliment. "Oh this old thing? It's actually my mom's old prom dress."

"It looks brand new." Eric sipped the glass of water at the table. "She has good taste."

"I'll tell her you say that." Cassidy chuckled. "You know, I'm surprised you're okay sitting here at a table with a loser like me." She glanced around the packed room. "Most people wouldn't dare."

"Well," Eric said, laughing at the irony. "It just so happens that I'm a loser too. What made you want to come to prom? I know that I try to stay far away from this kinda stuff."

"You're here." She remarked with a smug smile. "I could ask you the same thing." 

"I can't argue with that." Eric admitted, resting his hands in his lap. "Ladies first." 

Cassidy rolled her eyes. "Outdated, but fine." She sighed. "My mom pressured me into coming. She's one of those parents that thinks prom is this huge rite of passage that everyone needs to experience. I couldn't care less."

Eric nodded, listening intently. He understood where she was coming from. He knew tons of parents were like that. "That sucks. I'm sorry."

Cassidy shrugged. Her hair fell over her shoulder. "Yeah, but at least I met you." 

Eric smiled. "I don't know if that's good, but I'm glad you think so." Talking to Cassidy was calming his nerves that threatened to flare up by being surrounded by a bunch of people from school.

"Now you tell me. What brings you here?" 

_Should I be honest with her? I mean, she seems trustworthy._

"It's... complicated." Eric settled on a vague, but truthful response. Cassidy raised her penciled in eyebrows. 

"Complicated? That's a cop out. Tell me." 

_Well isn't she persistent._

"I came for my date who isn't really my date." Eric said, lowering his voice. He had no idea where Tom or his friends were seated. They could overhear him if he talked too loud.

A bewildered expression stayed on Cassidy's face. She tilted her head. "That makes no sense."

"Let me try again." Eric crossed his legs. "So my date and I are dating, but no one knows. So I can to see them, but not technically as their date." He made sure he used vague pronouns. The rumors about him and Tom still floated around and Eric caught wind of them on occasion. 

Cassidy nodded slowly. "That makes more sense. Why are you dating in secret?"

_That's the million dollar question, isn't it?_

"They aren't a loser like me." Eric let his gaze travel around the room, seeing if he could spot Tom. It was too dark. He couldn't tell specific faces; only flashes of sequins and satin. "It would ruin their reputation."

"That's stupid," Cassidy said, screwing up her face. "It shouldn't matter, if this person really loves you." 

"He does- I mean they." Eric stumbled to defend Tom. "It's... complicated."

"That C word again. I'm gonna outlaw it from your vocabulary." Cassidy warned. "I'm just saying. You deserve someone that wants to show you off, not keep you hidden."

Eric smiled at the notion; Tom showing him off in front of everyone. Tom declaring that Eric was his, not caring about what anyone said. It was such a vivid thought, he could see the sparkle in Tom's brown eyes and the smile as he looked at Eric and solely Eric.

"See! You want that." Cassidy pointed at the dreamy look that had fallen over him. "You should talk to him about it."

"I'm sure one day he'll be more comfortable." Eric wiped the look off his face. "Just not... now."

Cassidy remained unconvinced. Instead of continuing with the conversation, she pulled a flask out from her purse. "Want some?"

"Uh,"

_Just one sip. There's barely any in there in the first place anyways. Live it up. It is prom._

"Fuck it. Sure." Eric said, going along with his intrigue. Cassidy took a sip before passing the flask over to Eric. 

"Be careful that none of the chaperones see."

The metal of the shiny flask was cold in his sweaty fingers. He unscrewed the lid, looking around the room as he did. Most of the chaperones were engaged in talks with each other. With a quick slight of his hand, Eric lifted the flask up to his lips.

"What's in here?" The smell hit his nostrils right away. It had a strong resemblance to rubbing alcohol. Cassidy laughed at Eric's reaction.

"Vodka." 

Eric took another sniff, letting himself get used to it. After a couple whiffs, it wasn't as overwhelming. 

_Here we go. Bottoms up._

Eric drank a small amount from the flask. His throat burned as the liquid hit the back of his throat. He blinked his eyes rapidly, the vodka burning all the way down to his stomach. "Wow. Does that ever get better?"

"Nope." Cassidy took the flask back, shoving it into her clutch. "Never." 

"Hopefully I don't get too fucked up from that." Eric coughed. "That wouldn't be good."

"You drink regularly?" Cassidy asked. He shook his head.

"No." 

"Yikes. You'll probably get a light buzz." Cassidy pushed his glass of water towards him. "Good thing we're eating soon. Drink some water. Alcohol on an empty stomach is worse."

Eric picked up the glass and sipped. So far, he felt fine. Actually, he felt better than fine. His head was lighter than usual. The annoying nagging from the back of his mind was quieter than usual. He set the glass down with a giggle. "I'll be fine." 

"Table 36 may now go up to get their food." A booming voice echoed throughout the large room. 

Cassidy tugged on Eric's arm. "That's us. You need help standing up?"

"No, I'm good." Eric rose from his seat, nearly falling over. Cassidy steadied him, making sure his feet were planted firmly on the ground.

"You sure about that?" She laughed. "I'll carry your plate back for you."

Eric started to decline, but she moved away too quickly.

_Damn. She's faster in heels than me in flat shoes like this. That's embarrassing._

He weaved through the cluster of people gathered around the long tables filled with food. "Cassidy?" He called out, his head swinging back and forth. He didn't see her bold turquoise covered body anywhere.

Eric maneuvered to the back of the line. He grabbed a heavy plate and waited. His stomach let out a growl as he eyed up the steamy trays of food. To occupy his mind, he planned what he would load his plate with.

_Is that a basket of fresh buns? That would go so good with the smoked ham. Ooh or there's some breaded chicken. That's pretty good too. If I keep thinking about it, I'm gonna start drooling._

When it was Eric's turn to make his plate, he wasn't sure what to start with. Everything was calling his name.

"We don't have all night. We would like to get our food before it gets cold." A haughty voice complained from behind him. He didn't bother looking back, but Eric was sure she wasn't his biggest fan. To not hold up the line anymore, he impulsively started with the plate of fresh fruit. 

Once he got to the end of the line, his plate was a couple of pounds heavier. He wobbled, a single grape rolling onto the ground. 

"I think you dropped something." A hot gust of breath on Eric's neck sent shivers down his spine. He looked towards where the voice had come from. Tom smirked, holding his own plate. Eric looked down. It was as filled as his own.

"Yeah. Good thing it was just a grape." Eric said with a giggle. Tom looked from side to side before coming closer. 

"You smell like vodka." He laughed, shaking his head. "Having a little prom fun?"

"Yeah! Cassidy gave some to me." The plate jostled around. If it wasn't for Tom stopping it, all of its contents would've came crashing down to the floor.

"Cassidy?" The smirk dropped from Tom's face. "Who's that?"

"My new friend."

"New friend, huh?" Eric detected a hint of jealousy in Tom's question. He didn't want him to feel that way, but he couldn't say he minded Tom being jealous over him.

"Just a friend." Eric gave Tom a reassuring kiss on his cheek.

Tom looked less worried, a smile coming back to his face. "Save me a dance after dinner." He disappeared back into the crowd.

"There you are. Let me get that for you." Cassidy grabbed Eric's plate, balancing two plates in her arms. "C'mon." She guided Eric back to their table. On their way back, they were stopped by Beau. On his arm was a pretty redhead in a black dress.

"Eric? You're here?" He sneered, looking down on Eric (literally). "Who's this? Your date?"

Cassidy moved to stand in front of Eric, looking at Beau with an unimpressed stare. "No. I'm his friend. Is this your date?" 

The redhead smiled, pursing her lips together. "I am. The name's Andraya." 

"Right." Cassidy disregarded. "We should be getting back to our table. Have a fun night." She gripped Eric's arm and dragged him back to the table. Normally, Eric would've been freaking out at having an encounter with one of Tom's friends. Thanks to the alcohol, his heart rate barely rose.

"Those people are always the worst." Cassidy set the plates down on the table. "But anyways, it's time to eat. I don't know about you, but I'm so hungry." 

Eric sat back down and unwrapped his silverware. He wasted no time digging into the meal. "Me too," He mumbled, his mouth full of ham. Eric ate until he was past full. He let out a burp, wiping his mouth with his napkin.

"I don't know how I'm going to dance after all that. I can't move." Eric whined, patting his stomach. Cassidy was still eating. She twisted a strand of spaghetti around her fork.

"I think I went up two dress sizes." She slurped the pasta. "It's not our fault. They gave us all this food."

Staff made their rounds to the different tables to grab the empty plates that were starting to pile up. The transition from dinner to dancing was a bit hectic. Everyone finished their food at a different pace. Some people were clambering to the dance floor while some were still glued to their plates. 

Lights of purple and red flooded the dance floor that was slowly filling up. The sound of clacking heels mingled with the song the DJ had just turned on: _Fire Burning On The Dance Floor. ___

____

____

"God, I swear all DJ's pick their music from 2010." Cassidy groaned, covering her face. 

"Hey don't insult this song. It's always good, no matter the year." Eric said, standing up suddenly. "We're gonna dance to it like it's 2010."

"Ohhhh no. What happened to being full?" Cassidy said, recalling what Eric had said only a couple of minutes ago. 

"Nothing can stop the fire burning on the dance floor." Eric hauled Cassidy up from her seat and led her by her hand to join everyone else. The two of them danced in a carefree manner. They were surrounded on all sides. The entire song had Eric and Cassidy howling with laughter.

After the iconic throwback number, a more modern song played. A loud cheer garnered from the crowd as the singer began his rap verse.

"Who does this song?" Eric asked, out of breath. Cassidy shrugged. 

"No idea. Post Malone maybe?" Cassidy guessed, slowing her dancing down. Whatever the song was, it wasn't nearly as upbeat and bouncy. 

Eric saw Beau, Brandon, Labib, and Tom standing together. They pumped their fists into the air to the thumping bass. Most of the popular kids seemed to know the song. Cassidy and Eric tried their best to move to the rhythm. 

"You think we can recommend songs?" Cassidy yelled, her voice competing with the rapper's harsh vocals. 

"Maybe. You should try to suggest something." Eric yelled back. 

"What music do you listen to?" 

"Anything emo." Eric said with a laugh. "But I think that might chase everyone off the dance floor."

"We'll see about that." Cassidy winked, shoving her way through the crowd. Eric watched her get swallowed up by the mass of people. By the time she returned, a song or so had passed. He wasn't exactly sure. Rap songs sounded the same after awhile.

"I'm back in one piece." Cassidy smoothed her hair down. "Surprisingly."

"Did you get to request a song?" Eric dodged a guy who was coming awfully close to him. Cassidy grinned.

"You'll see."

Cassidy kept grinning all the way until the current song bled into the next one. Except, instead of the song being yet another nameless rap tune, Eric recognized it right away.

_Don't wanna be an American Idiot!_

Eric strummed an air guitar, headbanging along to one of his favorite Green Day songs. Cassidy whipped around her hair that she had spent a good slice of time trying to flatten. No one around them was nearly as into it, exchanging confused looks as the song went on.

Eric didn't pay them any mind. He was having a good time with Cassidy thrashing around. So what if he looked like an idiot? He was having fun.

"I'll be right back." Cassidy said as Billie Joe Armstrong's voice faded. She squeezed past Eric and through the crowd. Eric was left alone again.

_Oh don't you dare look back_

_Just keep your eyes on me_

_I said, "you're holding back ____She said, "Shut up and dance with me_

From across the dance floor, Eric made eye contact with Tom. He felt like he was in a movie; where the sappy song starts and the two lovers look at each other at the same exact point in time. Eric's heart fluttered in his chest. Tom could've been doing anything, but he was looking directly at Eric with a concentrated gaze.

Both of them moved towards each other, meeting in the middle. 

_She said,"Oooooh, shut up and dance with me"_

They started dancing around each other, maintaining eye contact the entire duration of the song. Eric was sure he had a dorky grin on his face, but he didn't care. He was dancing with Tom. That's all that mattered. Nothing else did; not the flashing lights, not the people close to them, not even the lively song. Only Tom.

Eric's face was flushed as the song drew to a close. Tom leaned in and whispered in his ear. 

"Thanks for dancing with me, handsome." He slipped away as quickly as he had made his way over to Eric. Eric frowned, reaching out as if he could hold onto Tom and keep him from leaving again.

"The line for the bathroom was so long, ugh." Cassidy made her way over to Eric. "Did I miss anything good?"

"N-No. Just more music." Eric stammered, looking away. "There was a-"

"Hello everyone, can I have your attention?' The DJ turned the music off. On the raised stage in front of the dance floor, the principal Ms.Oakley walked out in a pantsuit. 

"It's time to announce Prom King and Queen!" She clapped her hands together. "You've been voting all week and finally, the results are in!"

A hush fell over the crowd. The lively group had taken to standing still; whispers being traded like breezes of wind. Everyone was transfixed upon the stage. Ms.Oakley held two crowns in her hand. One of them was a dainty, silver tiara. The other was a large, jeweled crown. The colorful lights bounced off of them, their gems casting bands of illumination around the room and onto the faces of those gathered eagerly before them. 

Ms.Oakley unfurled a sheet, holding it in front of her to read. "Your Prom Queen is..."

Heavy pause.

"Tori Vasquez!" 

A thunderous round of applause roared throughout the room. "Come up here Ms.Vasquez!" Ms.Oakley cheered.

Tori walked onto stage gracefully, waving out to the crowd. She was in a jade mermaid dress, the fabric hugging her body in a way that made every girl mad and every guy captivated. 

_No shock she won. She's probably the most popular girl in school._

Ms.Oakley placed the tiara on top of Tori's perfectly styled wavy hair. "Let's hear it once more for Tori!" Another series of claps filled the room. "Now, for Prom King."

She glanced back at the paper before setting it down for a final time. "Your Prom King is..."

Heavy pause.

"Tom Phelan!" 

Eric's heart sank in his chest. Tom's name being called resounded over and over in his head, bouncing around in his brain until he felt lightheaded.

_I don't know why I'm shocked. He's clearly the most popular guy in school. Of course he was bound to win. But then does it feel like I was punched in the gut?_

Tom walked onto the stage, striding over to Ms.Oakley and Tori. A few _woo's_ and hollers came from the crowd as Ms.Oakley set the crown on top of Tom's head.

"Give it up for your Prom King and Queen!"

The cheers and claps didn't die down for a full minute. Eric sighed, turning to walk out of the building. He didn't want to see this. He didn't want to see everyone congratulating them as a couple. Just thinking about it made him sick. No, it was much better to just walk away and pretend that some other guy had won Prom King. 

_Maybe coming to prom was a mistake. Maybe I should've just stayed home and binge ate ice cream instead. Anything would be better than seeing the love of my life winning as part of some couple. That should be me up there with him. That should be us being crowned together._

"I have something to say." Tom spoke into the microphone on stage, his voice reverberating around the room. Eric's feet dragged along towards the door. 

_I can't listen to this. I can't._

"Thanks for electing me as Prom King. Out of everyone here, you chose me. Of course it's just a silly High School tradition, but it does show something. You all chose me as a representative out of our entire class. That's a lot of people. And as a class representative, I have something to say. I don't think I've been a very good one." 

Eric halted his mournful trek. He froze in place, his ears perking up.

_What is he going on about?_

The crowd seemed to have a similar reaction. Eric was out of the crowd at that point, but he could still hear confused murmurings and low whispers. Tom ran his fingers through his hair, getting ready to press on.

"No, I haven't. A representative shouldn't be a liar. They should be honest. They shouldn't be popular for being someone they really aren't." Tom's voice naturally dipped, nervously trailing off. His deep inhale could be heard thanks to the microphone. "So I've made the choice to stop. To stop putting on a front, even if you don't like it."

Eric wasn't even the one on stage and yet nerves plagued his stomach. For the first time in awhile, he had no idea what Tom was talking about. All he could do was watch with bated breath.

"I've been dating someone in secret for awhile now." Tom paused, correctly anticipating the wave of shock that passed through every person in the room. Tori's head turned so suddenly towards Tom that her tiara almost fell off.

Eric's heart stopped. He couldn't believe the words that had come out of Tom's mouth. 

_No, there is no way he said that. This must be another one of my vivid dreams._

"Yes, it's true. I've been dating someone in secret and they're the most wonderful person ever. Honestly, this is long overdue. I should've done this a long time ago. They don't deserve to be hidden like I'm ashamed of them because I'm not. Yeah, I used to be, but I'm not anymore." Tom rambled.

_Wake up Eric. Wake up._

"They make me the happiest guy on Earth. Without them, I don't know what I would do. They see me for who I really am. They see as more than just another hot, popular kid. They see all the different parts of me and instead of being repulsed by them, they embrace them and love them." Under the stage light, Tom's cheeks were extra red. 

_Wake. Up._

"So with all that being said." Tom looked out into the crowd, searching through all the faces before him. "Eric Beckerman, will you come to the stage?"

Eric wasn't sure if he was more shocked, or if the crowd was. Eric's mouth dropped open. He couldn't move. His legs wouldn't carry him no matter how hard he commanded them.

"Eric? I know you're here." Tom's blush deepened. "Come up here." 

_For God's sake even if this is a dream, MOVE._

Eric finally got his legs to function again. As he walked through the crowd, everyone around him parted, their faces stuck in stunned expressions. He was in the middle of the dance floor. "I'm h-here."

Tom looked down, his worried face replaced with a wide smile. He set the microphone back in the stand and leaned over to the DJ. The DJ nodded, fiddling with the computer in front of him. Filling the astonished silence was the gentle strumming of an acoustic guitar. Tom walked off the stage and joined Eric on the dance floor.

_Maybe I had too many drinks_

_But that's just what I needed_

_I hope that you don't think that what I'm saying sounds conceited_

_When I look across the room, and you're staring right back at me_

_Like somebody told a joke and we're the only ones laughin'_

"Can I have this dance?" Tom grabbed Eric's hand, his brown eyes sparkling under the lights.

Eric looked into his eyes. His heart fluttered rapidly like when Tom kissed him on the couch for the first time. "O-Of course." 

Tom softly smiled, wrapping his arms around Eric's waist. Eric let out a breathy giggle. Tom's arms around him made him feel safe when he was the opposite in reality. He was the most vulnerable he had ever been, but it didn't feel that way. With Tom, he was protected.

_Every single night my arms are not around you_

_My mind's still wrapped around you_

Eric let his arms hang around Tom's neck. He hadn't ever slow danced except once at a middle school dance, but for some reason everything seemed like instinct. That's how being with Tom felt. Like instinct; like it was something that was so natural and ingrained within him.

_Baby, any time you're ready_

_I'm waitin'_

Eric and Tom began swaying back and forth. The light scuffling of their shoes was the only other noise in the room besides the song. Eric felt everyone's gaze on him, their stares like an intense burst of warmth on his skin despite being fully clothed. He wasn't used to having this much attention directed towards him. To hide, he buried his face in Tom's neck. 

"Awe, you don't need to be embarrassed." Tom kissed the top of Eric's head. "I'm not. You shouldn't be either."

_What if my dad is right_

_When he says that you're the one_

Eric lifted his head back up and glanced around the room. He saw Cassidy grinning at him, an awestruck look on her face. He gave her a thumbs up and she clapped her hands together. Near Cassidy were the dumbfounded expressions of Beau, Labib, and Brandon. They looked to each other, equally confused. Tori on stage stood there with her mouth hanging permanently open.

_Don't know why I tried_

_'Cause ain't nobody like you_

_Familiar disappointment every single time I do_

_Every single night my arms are not around you_

_My mind's still wrapped around you_

The chorus of the song repeated, Eric smiled at Tom as he listened to the lyrics. If he had known Tom was going to do something like this, he wouldn't have ever hesitated in coming to prom.

"You didn't have to do that." Eric whispered as he looked into Tom's eyes. The lights made the brown irises twinkle.

"I know." Tom tightened his grip around Eric. "I wanted to."

_And if I have to, I'll wait forever_

_Say the word and I'll change my plans_

_Yeah, you know that we fit together_

_I know your heart like the back of my hand_

The crescendo of the song mirrored the swelling of happiness inside Eric's chest. Being in Tom's arms sharing their own personal moment together in front of everyone made up for every night Eric laid in bed wondering if he would get the chance to be open with him- for every night he was burdened by sadness at the reality that he might have to forever hide his feelings. It was worth it. One hundred percent worth it.

_Baby, tell me when you're ready_

_I'm waitin'_

Eric had no idea what would happen when they went back to school on Monday. Would Tom be open about their relationship status? Would they start to publicly date? Would he hold Eric's hand in the hallways? He wasn't sure.

But what he was sure of, however, was that it would turn out okay. He and Tom had endured their fair share of struggles. Whatever happened after tonight, they would face it...

_Even ten years from now_

_If you haven't found somebody_

_I promise, I'll be around_

_Tell me when you're ready_

_I'm waitin', I'm waitin'_

Together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow so if you're reading this, then it means you got all the way through this behemoth of a chapter(like 10k words nearly I think? Holy smokes). It took so long to get this all out and edit it ahah. If you're reading this, then it also means that you're at the end of my fic. That's... really sad actually. I hope you liked this last chapter. I know I brought this up in another note, but this wasn't actually the original ending! I liked this one a lot better and trust me, you all would too. I feel sad that this is going to be my last author's note. This fic has been my pride and joy for over a month now and the whole process has been fun, interesting, and even exhausting at times. But overall, I'm very happy with how it turned out. Originally, this fic was only supposed to be a mere 13 or 14 chapters. As you can tell, I exceeded that by a lot. I'm gonna miss not updating this fic so much. But some good news. I may have other possible teric fics in the future I will write (I have one in mind right now but it probably won't be as long and extensive as this buuuut idk). Now for the most important part: you! Yep, you reading this right now:) Every single kudo or comment you have left has motivated me to keep writing. I really do appreciate the support. If you're ever scared to comment, just know that reading your comments makes me smile so much. Take this moment to clap out loud for yourself. Don't look at me like that, give yourself a round of applause! Okay, better. If you've been here with me since I started this fic, thank you for sticking with me this whole time. I love you lots. Every last one of you:) And of course, thank you Tom and Eric for being the inspiration for this story! If you guys ever find this story, I hope ya liked it!


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